IT'S IN MY DNA

The world seems to have gone into a DNA testing frenzy as millions are signing up to get insights on who they are. Here, we show you what to expect if you sign up for one and help you decide if it’s well worth your money.

- Lorraine Chai

WHAT CAN DNA TELL YOU ABOUT YOUR HEALTH?

Deoxyribonucleic acid, commonly known as DNA, is a ladder-shaped ‘double-helix’ molecule that holds all the information that builds and maintains an organism. As the genetic material, or in simpler terms, a set of instructions, DNA is like a blueprint of you. It is hereditary in that among the 46 chromosomes handed down to you, half is from your mother and the other half comes from your father. Organised into 23 pairs of chromosomes (21 pairs for individuals with Down’s syndrome), it determines your physical traits, such height, hair and eye colours, as well as how your bodies function and even your impulsive tendencies.

SOME OF THEGENETESTSTHATARE AVAILABLE :

a Newborn screening where blood sample is typically collected from the heel (a small prick) of newborn babies for various metabolic disorders (G6PD deficiency, phenylketonuria, congenital hypothyroidism). This will help to identify these disorders and when found, treatments can be planned early so that it will not hinder the child's normal growth development in the future.

b Symptomatic testing of individuals that present specific conditions or abnormalities (global development delays, abnormal facial/anatomical features, strong family history of that disease).

c Carrier testing of individuals or couples that may be carrying one defective copy of genes that cause specific disorders. This is in order to understand the risk of having a child with genetic conditions such as thalassemia, sickle-cell anemia and cystic fibrosis.

d Pre-implantation diagnostics are performed on fertilized embryos to screen for abnormalities before they are implanted in the uterus during in-vitro fertilization (IVF).