This brochure will help you learn more about what gene testing and gene therapy could mean to you and your family. Today, one American in 100 is born with a serious genetic defect. Many people, including those planning a pregnancy, are taking steps to learn more about their own genetic status. Knowing about available tests, as well as understanding how traits run in families, can help you prevent illness in your family. We all inherit tens of thousands of genes from our parents, arranged on 46 chromosomes.
Genes turn on and off to control our growth, body chemistry and even the color of our hair and eyes.
Most genes work correctly, but some do not. Sometimes they change and begin to work poorly or not at all. Changes can be caused by radiation or certain chemicals, or by unexplained accidents within our cells. Genetic tests are available for a growing number of diseases including hemophilia, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia and Tay-Sachs disease. With rapid advances in genetics, many more tests are becoming available.