Book Review: The Decalogue – Deming and Goldratt

Importance of Genetics

(Speech delivered at Toastmasters District D3 Meet, Mumbai)

Have you ever wondered…..

Why do some of us have brown eyes, or golden hair or a dark skin tone? Why do some of us like cold weather in Delhi while others relish the humidity in Mumbai? Why do some of us land up with a heart attack or a cancer despite a perfectly healthy lifestyle? Human Body has always been an enigma for the mankind

Mr. Toastmaster, fellow club members and dear guests Today I shall tell you about a field of science called Genetics which holds the keys to unravel several mysteries of human body.

To know about genetics, let us first look at how our body functions. We all know that our body comprises of organs which are in turn made up of cells. Each of us has about 100 trillion cells in our body. It is these cells which carry out the various body functions – be it respiration, thinking, digestion, response to stimuli etc.  How do these cells know what to do?

DNA - Building Blocks Of Life

If we were to peer inside our cells, we will find that it consist of 46 small wormlike shapes. These shapes are called Chromosomes.  We get 23 of these came from our mother and 23 from our father. Each of these chromosomes is further made up of a long, winding molecule called deoxyribonucleic acid, commonly known as DNA.  ”. The DNAs are combined in the thousands of different ways to create specific instructions. These instructions are called Genes. It is the genes which tell our cells how to function, communicate and multiply. Scientists call this complete set of DNA instruction as a “Genome. It is estimated that there are approximately 25000 genes in the human body.

Genetics is the science of study of these genes and the entire genome.

Let me share something very interesting about Genomes. From the outside, we all may be look and sound very different, but at the DNA level, we are very similar. In fact, the genomes of any two people are more than 99% the same. Still, it is those tiny DNA variations which create such a wide range of differences amongst us. They affect our appearances, our behavior, response to environment, susceptibility to a disease and what not.

It is this enormous impact of our Genes which makes the study of genetic so fascinating, important and useful.

Let us see how this field impacts us. Many times these genes or simply the instructions relayed to a cell do go wrong. During cell multiplication, there are chances that a part of a chromosome goes missing or is wrongly placed. As a result, it will send a wrong instruction or no instruction at all. Such changes in the genes are known as mutations.

Genetic Mutations are now known to be associated with several kinds of diseases and medical conditions. There are more than 4000 human conditions which are associated with mutations in single specific genet. Whereas diseases like Cancers, Diabetes and Heart Diseases are caused to do variations in multiple genes.

Knowledge about the genetics has transformed our entire approach towards diagnosis and treatments of various disorders. We can now detect the exact nature of a disease at a very early stage. This is highly useful while treating conditions such as cancer. Secondly, we can identify the risks of a person towards a particular disease.  This enables us to take necessary precautions and preventive actions. 

Genetic mutations are often transferred from one generation to another. That explains why many diseases run in the families. By analyzing the family history and the genes of the parents, it is now possible to predict the probability of a disease occurrence in the next generation. It is even possible to learn about genetic abnormalities before the birth of a child. No wonder that, prenatal diagnosis is one of the most popular applications of genetics.

We can also find out about the allergies and response to various drugs. This is very useful in preventing an adverse reaction to a drug during treatment.

Genetics is also opening the doors to the world of personalized medicine. Let me explain with an example.   Suppose we are all suffering from a common flu and we take the same medicine. Some of us will recover in no time, while others will show no improvement even after few months of taking medicine. In such situations, knowledge about the genetic makeup of the patient can help doctors prescribe a more personalized treatment plan.

Well, with so many applications, you might be wondering about how to get this information.  There are very few specialized labs in India which offer genetic testing. These lab draw cells from your blood, skin, hair or tumors as the case may be and give their reports. These reports are further analyzed by Genetic Counselors who help patients interpret the results and understand the implications in order to make an informed decision.

Who should go for genetic tests? Typically, it is your doctor who may recommend you to take tests. However, if you are affected by a condition which appears difficult to deal with or you want to learn about your susceptibility to various diseases, you can start by seeing a genetic counselor.  Discuss your condition and find what kind of genetic tests you may need.

However, please be prepared to learn the unexpected. And don’t get mad at the counselor if he tells you that you have a family history of being crazy, the counselor has data to prove it J