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If you could be a
human genetics researcher, what would you study and why?
by Giovanni Luca Maglione,
from Genova, Italy, born on27.04.1991
(286 points)
Teacher
Laura Viale
School: Istituto M.Champagnat, Genova
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Improve the health and increase the competitiveness and
innovative capacity of European health-related industries and businesses
represent the global health objective of European research contest.
Stimulate and sustain multidisciplinary basic biomedical research with large
collaboration at the European level is the way to get the maximum potential
of genomic research for human health.
If I could be an European researcher I would like to work in the “The Human
Genome Project” that is the international, collaborative research program
that study the human genes to safeguard health preventing or treating major
diseases, finally to deliver better health.
Two approaches, I believe, are interesting.
On one hand genome-wide association study a rapidly scanning markers across
the complete sets of DNA, or genomes, of many people to find genetic
variations associated with a particular disease. Once new genetic
associations are identified, researchers can use the information to develop
better strategies to detect, treat and prevent the disease. Such studies are
particularly useful in finding genetic variations that contribute to common,
complex diseases, such as asthma, cancer, diabetes, heart and mental
illnesses. In these studies two groups are used: people with the disease and
similar people without the disease. If genetic variations are found to be
significantly more frequent in people with the disease compared to people
without disease, the variations are said to be "associated" with the disease.
The associated genetic variations can identifies the region of the human
genome where the disease places.
On the other hand the sequencing of the human genome provides an opportunity
to understand the role of genetic factors in human health and disease, to
determine how they interact with environmental factors and define the
non-genetic factors involved.
Among all scientific papers I read, the most amusing approach is the study of
genetic factor involved in maintaining good health.
Genomics permit understanding of this aspect of human biology and allow the
identification of gene variants that are important for the maintenance of
health, particularly in the presence of known environmental risk factors.
One useful research resource would be a “healthy cohort”, a large
epidemiologically robust group of individuals with unusually good health,
who could be compared with “cohorts” of individuals with diseases: the
comparative DNA analysis reveal alleles protective for sicknesses such as
diabetes, cancer, heart diseases.
Another interesting approach is the rigorous examination of genetic variants
in individuals at high risk for specific diseases that do not develop the
expected disease, as an example: sedentary, obese smokers that do not have
heart disease
As single nation, Italy as any other single European country, could not
sustain a great effort to explore the genomic research. With the European
approach, many small research team become a great, unitized powerful team of
scientists that are able to reach results that cannot be reached by a single
nation.
Research at the European level compares and analyze of models, systems and
data of national DNA databases to generate new knowledge. This provide
knowledge for policy decisions, also for efficiency and responsiveness of
health cares systems in Europe for specific DNA associated diseases.
Great care in Europe is given to diffuse information, communicating
biomedical and genetics research results within the civil society, to
disseminate for common people the knowledge with open access to scientific
publications, and also to appreciate the results of the great amount of
money that the community spent in Europe for the research activity. The
dissemination of the activities contributes also to the education and
training of research students, providing a great sense of European belonging
to the student and researcher community.
I feel as a European, more than as an Italian student, and my dream is to be a
good European researcher that will contribute to the excellence of Europe in
the research through a single effort cumulated in a strong, multinational
team.
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