Quote:
Originally Posted by hotjenny314
I read this article last night. I don't have a history of breast cancer in my family either, RJ, but I think that if I did I would be very inclined to get the genetic testing. I had no idea that such testing was around, and I think it is wonderful that Jolie decided to open up about this to spread the word specifically about the availability of this specific type of testing.
Katie, RJ:
Here's an interesting article concerning the current state of the art with respect to genetic testing. The speed with which this technology is advancing (and the steep decline in the cost of testing) is truly amazing.
http://spectrum.ieee.org/biomedical/...machine-and-me
It probably won't occur during my lifetime (I'm too old), but I suspect it's safe to speculate that cures will be discovered for most (if not all) of the genetic diseases within the next 2-3 generations. That's how fast the discoveries are being made.
On a related note, there is a world wide distributed computing project, (i.e. Stanford University's "Folding at Home" project), which has been ongoing since October of 2000. The Folding at Home (FAH) project utilizes unused CPU cycles from donors home computers to perform calculations that simulate the folding of large complex protein molecules. Understanding how proteins fold (and sometimes misfold) at the molecular level is leading to the discovery of new drugs and treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, AIDS, and at least half of the forms of cancer. The FAH project is the world's largest distributed computing project with well over 166,000 donors worldwide - and growing. (My own computer is part of FAH. I'm crunching "work units" 24/7. My "slow poke" computer has crunched nearly 1,500 WUs since last December.)
Check out the FAH web site:
http://folding.stanford.edu/English/HomePage
and this animation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sJx9z1uB9k
and consider joining the project. The cost (primarily electricity cost) of having your computer crunch work units is on parallel with burning a 100-watt light bulb. (If you run the FAH software with your monitor turned off, the cost is negligible.)
This is something we can all do together to fight these diseases. (Plus, you can tell your friends that you are a medical researcher - which won't be a total lie.) I used this "medical researcher" ploy on a lady I met one night at dinner. She almost fell for it - and me.
Last edited by Alan C. Lawhon; 05-27-2013 at 12:14 AM.
Reason: Minor edit.