Don't be afraid of genetics!
Academician Scriabin: GMOs and genetic engineering will save the world
In the world, a genetic test has become as commonplace as a blood test, with its help people learn about the risk of an early heart attack, the likelihood of cancer, the danger of giving birth to a sick child. In Russia, genetics is still squinted at as a "corrupt girl of imperialism."
What is really to be afraid of and why it is better to eat genetically modified foods than conventional ones," the professor told Fontanka.
– What in our country prevents people today, as you say, from "spitting in a test tube" or donating blood in order to know in advance about their illnesses and risks? There are no doctors, nowhere to turn, insanely expensive, these are technologies for the elite…
– The methods that we use are already completely routine methods. And centers where genetic analysis is done can be found on the Internet. And only ordinary darkness hinders people. Lack of basic knowledge. The most important task today is to bring the average level of knowledge in our country to the global average. Because it is very important that people themselves understand what genetic information they can get with such an analysis. One day a friend of my wife came to me in tears: she says they told me that I was going to have a sick child. I ask: how much did the analysis cost? Answers: 80 rubles. For 80 rubles, you can only determine the concentration of nitrogen in the urine – and that's it. Such an analysis cannot give information about the child. Therefore, it is very important that a person knows the possibilities of modern genetics.
– If the methods are routine, then why do we need to look for some special centers on the Internet? Can't a genetic analysis be done in a regular clinic?
– First polyclinics have to master it.
– Is it a long story?
– If we do not do this within two or three years, then we will fall behind the world hopelessly. I am absolutely sure that in the coming years, any person in the civilized world will have a card – such as a credit card now, only his genome will be recorded on it. And every doctor will have a reader where you will need to insert this card and read the information: what are your genetic predispositions, what diseases, what risks, and so on.
– During your speech, you said that one human genome costs about 8 thousand dollars. Do you offer to undergo an examination for such an amount?
– Such an analysis should cost as much as a good biochemical analysis. No more than 25 thousand rubles.
– It's still too expensive for analysis.
– Yes, but it's for life. You have to do such an analysis once in your life to know your entire genetic predisposition. I am sure that soon the spouses will be asked for such cards to understand what threatens or does not threaten their unborn child.
– When you were asked questions after the lecture, we talked about a microchip with such information, which will be implanted to citizens…
– Yes, Zhores Ivanovich Alferov said that. Now a huge trend in medicine is the use of microchips and microanalysts in general, micro sensors that can be embedded under the skin or in some human organs, and they will constantly monitor the functions of the organ and the state of health. Now it's some simpler things, maybe blood sugar levels and the like.
– Remember how much they shouted about surveillance and confidential information when we introduced a simple TIN. Can you imagine how much squeal there will be because of microchips?
– You know, to some extent, this squeal may be justified. It's one thing – you came to the doctor. And another thing – for example, to the employer. He receives information that you are allergic to certain compounds, and you can no longer get a job. Or you come to an insurance company, and they tell you: no, my dear, insurance costs you not a thousand rubles, but a hundred thousand, because you are predisposed to an early heart attack.
– So there is a danger?
– Of course! Therefore, in addition to changing the paradigm in medicine, changes must also take place in people. We have to make sense of the information. And think about what humanity will come to, having received the entire amount of information.
– There are few specialists in Russia today who are able to decipher the information obtained by genetic analysis. Then who should do all the things that you already talk about as routine analyses?
– Imagine: I take a few milliliters of blood from you. I can make your complete genome in a few days. But you don't need a genome, you need information about your health. And I can't say anything about your health, because I'm not a doctor, I'm a molecular biologist. And we need a doctor who can determine which changes in which gene will lead to which result. So we really have only a few such doctors, geneticists.
- why? Do they not teach this to our doctors?
– We do not have departments where this would be taught. There is the only institute in Russia in Tomsk, there is an Ott institute in St. Petersburg, there is a small research center in Moscow. They employ several brilliant scientists. But in general, this is not yet a medical profession that has been grafted in Russia. And this is very bad.
– Are there any educational institutions where such a program may appear in the near future?
"I'm afraid not. We are currently working on this, trying to start such courses at some departments or create such a department at a medical university. Because all I'm talking about is the trend in the development of medicine in general throughout the civilized world. If we don't keep up, it will soon become a very big problem.
– Can you name the diseases that genetic analysis can "predict" to a person?
– That's it. All diseases. Well, here's an example for you: we know that the loss of 27 letters of genetic information in one of the genes leads to an early heart attack. And it's 100 percent. If a young child is given a genetic analysis and sees that he has lost these 27 letters, then he already knows for the rest of his life that he must be careful. However, there is one feature… In Europe, studies have shown that very many people who have had a heart attack before the age of 43 have a gene mutation, but in Russia it is not necessary. Well, it's just that there are other risk factors for a heart attack in Russia…
– If we take all our non-medical factors out of the brackets. Here we know that the child has a mutation and in the future he may have a heart attack before the age of 43. So what? Is it possible to change something?
– Probably, soon we will be able to edit human genetic information. Now – not yet.
– Then what to do with this information about a future heart attack?
– Be attentive, monitor the condition of the heart, the condition of the vessels, lead a proper lifestyle.
– And the "prediction" won't work?
– No, no, not like that. It's just that a heart attack in itself is not a fatal disease. And if a person knows about such a predisposition and takes care of himself, they will have time to help him in time.
– Is it like with Angelina Jolie, who underwent surgery in advance after learning about the 90 percent probability of cancer by genetic analysis?
– Of course! Now there is a fairly clear predisposition to diabetes, to multiple diseases that are determined by more than one gene. And there are diseases that are determined by a change in only one gene. For example, we can tell future parents for sure if they have a risk of having a child with cystic fibrosis. There are cases when the mother can be told in time that the child will be born seriously ill. And she has a choice.
– And if you take an analysis not from the parents, but already from the fetus, do you see the health of the unborn child?
– We can absolutely say today: is this a child with Down syndrome or not. 100 percent. We just see how many chromosomes he has. But that's actually a terrific question, because that's what we're working on right now. We want to see if the fetus has hereditary diseases or not. But first you still need to look at the parents. Because if both dad is healthy and mom is healthy, then it's pointless to look for diseases. That's why we need complete information. Therefore, people should be engaged in their genetics.
– Are you sure that this is possible in Russia, where most people are even afraid of genetically modified foods like poison?
– This is also a problem of lack of education.
– And here, by the way, about these unfortunate GMOs. I'm eating them. Not allowed?
– I'm eating too. I can tell you: there are no safer products than those genetically modified ones that are registered. They have been tested for decades. And you don't need to believe in fairy tales about some American companies that… We have 14 or 17 such products registered in Russia.
– I hope that you have calmed down many people now.
– I agree that security is a priority. I agree with honest environmentalists who are worried. But why do they think they're worried and I'm not? These genetically modified products, I assure you, are much safer than classic products obtained by classical breeding. Because when you do classical breeding, you either illuminate with radiation or give a chemical mutagen. And this is damage to thousands of genes. And here you are exactly inserting one gene into a certain place. And then you check the result by reading the full information.
– Here, genetically modified rice is considered more useful than usual because, thanks to genetic engineering, the lack of vitamins has been eliminated in it…
– Yes, all genetically modified products, if they are officially registered, are more useful. You have no idea what an environmentally beneficial effect those plants have that protect themselves from pests, that protect themselves from moisture or drought. The biggest environmental problem in the world today is water scarcity. Agriculture spends up to 70 percent of the globe's water. If we can reduce this figure, we will save the globe. And this can be done with the help of genetic engineering.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru07.10.2013