RL_sparky
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Article from January 2015
http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Scientists-say-environment-trumps-genetics-in-6018629.php
Excerpt:
“Genomics technology has advanced so much that we’re seeing an explosion in sequencing and analyzing this and that. Everything starts to look like genetics. And yet, it isn’t, really,” saidMark Davis, lead author of the study and director of Stanford’sInstitute for Immunity, Transplantation and Infection. “The big message is the environment matters a lot.”
Davis’ study was specific to the immune system, but it’s likely, he said, that the same environmental influence applies to other body systems—for instance, the nervous system—and overall health. And while there’s no doubt that genetics plays a huge role in certain diseases and health outcomes, the importance of DNA may be overstated.
Genomic sequencing, which involves reading the genetic makeup of an organism, has become widespread in both research and consumer markets. Scientists are hunting for genetic clues to hundreds of human diseases, from Alzheimer’s and cancer to the flu, and increasingly researchers are promoting the idea of personalized medicine, or targeting treatment to a patient’s DNA.
That’s all valuable work, Davis said. But he’s wary of overselling the potential of genomic sleuthing.
http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Scientists-say-environment-trumps-genetics-in-6018629.php
Excerpt:
“Genomics technology has advanced so much that we’re seeing an explosion in sequencing and analyzing this and that. Everything starts to look like genetics. And yet, it isn’t, really,” saidMark Davis, lead author of the study and director of Stanford’sInstitute for Immunity, Transplantation and Infection. “The big message is the environment matters a lot.”
Davis’ study was specific to the immune system, but it’s likely, he said, that the same environmental influence applies to other body systems—for instance, the nervous system—and overall health. And while there’s no doubt that genetics plays a huge role in certain diseases and health outcomes, the importance of DNA may be overstated.
Genomic sequencing, which involves reading the genetic makeup of an organism, has become widespread in both research and consumer markets. Scientists are hunting for genetic clues to hundreds of human diseases, from Alzheimer’s and cancer to the flu, and increasingly researchers are promoting the idea of personalized medicine, or targeting treatment to a patient’s DNA.
That’s all valuable work, Davis said. But he’s wary of overselling the potential of genomic sleuthing.
