Week 3 Activities and Discussion
This week we covered several interesting topics and finally got on a roll! To begin with, we talked about other careers in genetics, several of which are completely removed from clinical genetics or genetic counselors. Many of these are highly rewarding in growing fields. We then got to the main topic of the week; cancer. Is cancer genetic? If not entirely so, are there heritable genetic traits which make developing cancer more likely? These questions and more were discussed in depth.
Finally, our lab this week consisted of microarrays. In short, these allow us to determine the likelihood of someone developing a disease such as cancer. Learn more about these in the third document on this page.
Other Careers in Genomics
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Open in new tab This document specifies related careers within the realm of genetics, but which are not necessarily related to genetic counseling or clinical genetics. While some of these, such as epidemiology, are still related to medicine, others are completely removed from the medical community. Being a lawyer or science writer, for instance, may be totally separate from the world of clinical genetics.
Cancer Genetics and How Your Genes Affect Cancer Likelihood
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Through this slideshow we examine the various causes of cancer and discuss how gene expression can affect the likelihood of developing the various diseases under that term. We also determine whether or not cancer is heritable.
Lab 2: DNA Microarrays
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In this lab we focus on determining the expression of genes using technology called a “microarray.” The goal of this exercise is to understand which genes are active and which are inactive. We can then get a general idea of the likelihood a patient has for developing a disease such as cancer.