The latest episode of Genetics Unzipped explores the science behind so-called ‘genetic superheroes’, and how many of us might also have hidden powers within our genes.
We could be heroes
Despite the catchy name, genetic superheroes don’t have the ability to shoot webs from their fingers or save the galaxy. Instead, they have a much more down to earth ability: carrying genetic alterations that should make them seriously ill, yet they are apparently healthy.
The search for genetic superheroes started with a simple question with a complicated answer: not why do we get sick, but why do we stay well?
Instead of starting with people who already had a health condition then sifting through their genes, researchers are going the other way, sifting through DNA sequences from thousands of people looking for alterations known to be linked to serious diseases, then finding out whether any of the people with these harmful variations are actually ill.
Several research projects have now identified a number of genetic superheroes carrying what should be disease-causing faults in genes for conditions ranging from cystic fibrosis to skeletal abnormalities and lung disease.
And it’s not just humans who can be genetic superheroes. There’s also the case of Ringo the Superdog and his son Suflair, who should have developed the canine version of muscular dystrophy according to their genes, but were unaffected and completely healthy.
We now know that there are far more of these genetic superheroes out there than anyone first imagined, raising questions about how much we can predict about the risk of disease simply from studying someone’s genome.
Check out Genetics Unzipped to find out more about the quest to find genetic superheroes and understand the science behind their secret powers, what they can teach us about health and disease, and what their existence means for our understanding of genetics.
Listen to the Genetics Unzipped podcast
Listen to the whole episode and find show notes and a full transcript at GeneticsUnzipped.com.
Genetics Unzipped is the podcast from the UK Genetics Society, presented by award-winning science communicator Dr Kat Arney and produced by First Create the Media. Follow Genetics Unzipped on Twitter @geneticsunzip, and the Genetics Society at @GenSocUK
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