Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Friday 4 May 2018

U.S. seeking 1M for massive study of DNA, health habits

testing, initially to look for Unlike with most medical
so-called "variants" in DNA studies, participants can
that affect disease risk, sim- choose to see their own test
ilar to what some private results and share them with
companies now sell, Col- their physician long before
lins said. Fully mapping the the study reaches any big-
genetic code is too pricey picture conclusions. A cau-
now for a million people, tion: There are still many
but that more comprehen- questions about how best
sive approach eventually to use the results of genetic
will be used with some par- tests. Still, "we will try to help
ticipants, too. their doctors sort through
Among the first lessons Col- what it means," Collins said.
lins hopes to learn is about One result that might bring
resilience: Why do some a quick benefit: Genetic
people stay healthy de- variants can signal who is
spite smoking or pollution prone to side effects from
or poor nutrition? more than 100 drugs, infor-
"We have no idea how mation that could be used
those people escape those to prescribe a safer drug
odds," he said. if only their doctors knew,
LEARN YOUR RESULTS Collins added.q
In this Aug. 7, 2017, file photo, Stephanie Richurk, a nurse at the University of Pittsburgh Medical
Center, sorts blood samples collected from participants in the "All of Us" research program in
Pittsburgh.

By LAURAN NEERGAARD ready interest: More than lar — and people of all rac-
WASHINGTON (AP) — Want- 25,000 people got early es and ethnicities.
ed: A million people willing entry to the project over For now, participants must
to share their DNA and 10 the past year through an be at least 18. Next year,
years of health habits, big invitation-only pilot test run the study will open to chil-
and small, for science. by participating universities dren, too. While there are
On Sunday, the U.S. gov- and health providers. other big "biobanks" of
ernment will open nation- WHY STUDY SO MANY? genetic data from at least
wide enrollment for an am- Most of today's medical 100,000 people, the NIH
bitious experiment: If they care is based on what hap- project aims to be the larg-
can build a large enough pened to the average per- est and most diverse of its
database comparing the son in short studies of a few kind. At least half of the
genetics, lifestyles and en- hundred or thousand pa- participants must be from In this photo taken on Wednesday May 2, 2018, a rhino in it's
vironments of people from tients with a specific health groups traditionally under- enclosure in the Addo Elephant Park, near Port Elizabeth, South
all walks of life, researchers condition. And most peo- represented in medical re- Africa, on the eve of being transported to Zakouma National
hope to learn why some ple who volunteer for those search, Collins stressed. Park in Chad.
escape illness and others studies are white, leaving GENES AREN'T THE WHOLE Associated Press
don't, and better customize questions about the best STORY
ways to prevent and treat care for people of different Sure, what genes you har- Chad gets 6 rhinos nearly 50
disease. "A national adven- races. "One-size-fits-all is far bor can raise your risk for
ture that is going to trans- from an optimal strategy," various diseases. But other years after losing the species
form medical care," is how Collins said Tuesday in an- factors can increase or re-
Dr. Francis Collins, director nouncing enrollment for All duce some genetic risks.
of the National Institutes of of Us. The project involves So first volunteers will share Associated Press African Parks, a Johannes-
Health, describes his agen- "precision medicine," using electronic health records PORT ELIZABETH, South Af- burg-based conservation
cy's All of Us Research Pro- traits that make us unique and blood samples, and rica (AP) — Six critically group, said Thursday that
gram. Congress has autho- to forecast and treat dis- answer periodic question- endangered black rhinos the rhinos will travel by air
rized $1.45 billion over 10 ease. Learning enough to naires about their diet, are being transported from to Zakouma National Park,
years for the project. It all individualize care requires sleep, environmental expo- South Africa to Chad, re- a reserve in Chad that it
hinges on whether enough studying a massive number sures and other lifestyle fac- storing the species to the manages with the govern-
people around the coun- of participants: The healthy tors. They might wear fitness country in north-central ment. The group says the
try will sign up, either online and not-so-healthy, young trackers and other sensors. Africa nearly half a cen- goal is to help the long-
or through participating and old, rural and urban, And later this year they'll tury after it was wiped out term survival of black rhinos
health centers. There's al- blue-collar and white-col- start undergoing genetic there. and to restore biodiversity
in Chad. It says there are
fewer than 25,000 rhinos in
the African wild, of which
about 20 percent are
black rhinos and the rest
white rhinos. Most of the
rhinos are in South Africa,
though the population has
been hit hard by poachers
supplying horns to an illegal
Asian market.q