Professor urges DNA tests to eliminate inherited diseases
People should test their partner’s DNA before starting a family to minimise the risk of inherited disease.
People should test their partner’s DNA before starting a family to minimise the risk of inherited disease, and may have to decide to stay childless, a senior Harvard professor said.
About 5 per cent of babies have inherited conditions such as muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis and sickle-cell anaemia. There are about 7000 such conditions, all due to parents being badly matched genetically.
In an interview with the science magazine Discove r, George Church, a professor of genetics who was one of the architects of the human genome project, says the world could be rid of such diseases if couples took DNA tests before having a family.
To eliminate the conditions, millions of couples would be advised not to have children, to use IVF so embryos can be screened or to consider genetic testing of their unborn baby with a view to termination.
While testing might be expensive, Professor Church points out the illnesses last a lifetime and cost millions to health providers, such as the US NHS. “It (testing) will go exponential quickly,” he said.
In Britain, genetic diseases are a growing problem among some Asian and other ethnic communities where it is common for cousins to marry. A report from Bradford said such relationships were a significant factor in deaths from genetic abnormalities.
Some Jewish communities face similar issues. About 20 per cent of Ashkenazi Jews are carriers for at least one severe recessive genetic disorder, such as Tay-Sachs disease.
Jnetics is a UK charity set up to help prevent and manage Jewish genetic disorders. Executive director Katrina Sarig said: “Genetic testing has been a game-changer in our community and … what we’re doing is transferable. It’s empowering to know what we are carriers of if we are able to do something about it.”
The Sunday Times
Britons score highest on lowest life expectancies
Britain has the worst life expectancy in western Europe, a report has found.
‘Reacting to pictures in his head’: Will Putin use nuclear weapons?
As Moscow threatens to respond to Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles, experts warn Vladimir Putin’s state of mind is the danger that could lead him to going for the nuclear option.