Quote:
Originally Posted by dreadgeek
This is last is why I try to explain the science. There's a lot at stake. I'm going to give just one example: Huntington's chorea. There is a gene on chromosome 4 that consists of a single 'word' CAG (you can, in some ways, think of a genome) that repeats over again. On average people have between 6 and 15 repeats. Any number of repeats up to 35 and you're fine. The trouble starts at 39 or higher. Here's Matt Ridley talking about how not only do we know what gene causes it we can predict, based upon the number of repeats at what age you can expect to start showing symptoms.
(Matt Ridley -- Genome: Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters)
Now, we don't know what the gene is actually there for but one day we will and when we do we will be able to manipulate the genome so that we can simply edit out all repeats above 35. We could test for it pretty much as soon as the woman realizes she is pregnant. When we can, we should.
That's the promise. It would be beyond sin if we turned our back on this technology.
Cheers
Aj
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Aj,
I have Huntington's it is called HUntingtons Disease, my CAG repeat is 40, i am interested in speaking with you perhaps because it seems you are knowledgeable about huntington's disease. I am 6th generation.
Gaea
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Gaea
"Building a lifetime together one day at a time"
Courage: the willingness to risk who you are for who you want to be and what you have for what you want
You're not who your past says you are, you are who you choose to be today moving forward.
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