Happy National DNA Day!

This Thursday April 25, 2013 was the National DNA Day!!! This year particularly is the 60th anniversary of Watson & Cricks' discovery of DNA structure and the 10th anniversary of Human Genome Project (HGP)!

Retrieved from ASHG

I am especially interested in genetics because of its intricacy and roles in diseases. HGP provides scientists an unprecedented opportunity to better understand the role of genetics in human health and gradually reveal the mystery of genetic diseases. Today, genetics becomes increasingly important in diagnosis, drug development, and new treatments. Bellow is an excerpt of an essay I wrote on HGP:

HGP, though it does not boost the speed, increases the “success rate” of drug development. Identifying a specific mutation allows scientists to develop a targeted drug that directly tackles that mutation. Many studies on targeted drugs are done in cancers. Targeted cancer therapies are drugs or substances that inhibit the uncontrollable growth of cancer cells by blocking growth factors or inducing cell death (apoptosis). HGP facilitates the identification of these “targets”, which are usually defective genes that encode for proteins involved in cell signaling pathways. For instance, in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), researchers had identified gene BCR-ABL – a result of translocation between chromosome 9 and 22. This gene produces a hyperactive protein that keeps Abl signaling pathway active and causes continuous proliferation of CML cells. Researchers can then develop a drug that represses this defective gene and treat the deadly disease (National Cancer Institute, 2011).

Here is the speech delivered by Francis Collins, the director of NIH, on National DNA day: http://directorsblog.nih.gov/dnas-double-anniversary/#more-1194 I really I could attend the annual ASHG meeting someday! Anyways, Happy National DNA Day!!

Because I had proctor training this Wednesday, I wasn't able to go to RPI. My internship is soon coming to an end, and I have working on my poster for my presentation:) I hope it'll all go well!