PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Genetic therapy has been called the future of medical care. Now, new information is bringing us one step closer.
Genetic therapy is already being used for many common conditions. However, there are countless rare genetic variations that can lead to a wide variety of illnesses.
A recent report in the journal Nature looked at data from more than 280,000 people in the United Kingdom and found more than 46,000 variant level associations.
To put this in simplest terms, the variant level associations can be paired with common traits and lead to abnormalities in the way cells work.
The value in knowing this precise information is that scientists can now target these variations in an effort to prevent problems before they occur.
KYW Newsradio’s Medical Reports are sponsored by Independence Blue Cross.