Although each cell contains a full complement of DNA, cells use genes selectively. Genes encode proteins to determine how we fight infections and process food. Gene mutations can be either inherited from a parent or acquired. More than 4,000 diseases are thought to stem from inherited mutated genes.
Cancer is a disease of genes gone awry, but only a small portion of cancer is inherited.
Access Excellence Resource Center Gene therapy bid to kill child tumours Sydney researchers are planning to conduct the first gene therapy trial on children in Australia. In full . Not only were they conceived in a laboratory using IVF techniques, but as tiny embryos they were genetically tested to ensure that they had not inherited a fatal disease, before being transferred to Jasmine's womb. In full . Genetic screening of all young adults in Australia is likely to be introduced within a few years.