My love of science began many years ago as a little girl in a small town in Arkansas. I was fascinated by the human body and its different parts. At the time, I could not adequately describe the many organs, muscles, ligaments, and bones but, nevertheless, that did not dampen my enthusiasm about the wonders of our bodies. I recall having many questions, such as: How were babies made? What determines their eye color?
Imagine my excitement when I finally entered medical school and had a chance to physically touch the insides of the human body and answer the questions my 5-year-old self previously pondered. I also learned about DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid, the molecule that contains the genetic information for the development and functioning of an organism. DNA is made of 2 strands that wrap around each other, which resembles a ladder that is twisted. Hence, the DNA shape is commonly known as a double helix.
Knowing the specifics of one’s DNA could allow clinicians to be more precise in their treatment plans and not generalize care to certain populations, particularly if they were not well represented in the studies…
Half of our DNA comes from our biological mother and the other half from our biological father. Therefore, that catchy phrase, “She gets it from her mama” is only partially true because, technically, “She also gets it from her daddy.” Our DNA not only determines our physical attributes but also can determine whether we will be diagnosed with hypertension, diabetes, or cancer. Please understand, however, other factors also contribute to our health such as our diet, lack of exercise, where we live, and the amount of stress we endure. These other factors, known as social determinants of health, play a huge part in our health journey.
Much of what we know about certain diseases is what I call “after-the-fact” medicine, meaning that when someone gets diagnosed, we treat them, and then follow their care over the next few years to determine next steps. However, science is evolving by trying to learn more specifically about the individual person and their risk for developing disease on a microscopic level. Knowing the specifics of one’s DNA could allow clinicians to be more precise in their treatment plans and not generalize care to certain populations, particularly if they were not well represented in the studies.
In 2015, the National Institutes of Health introduced the All of Us research program, which aims to collect and study data of one million or more people in the United States. The goal of All of Us is to speed up health research discoveries, enabling new kinds of individualized health care. To make this possible, the program is building one of the world’s largest and most diverse databases for health research.
Researchers interested in studying participant DNA have to complete special training and they must abide by certain ethical standards. Researchers who can see individual participant data will not be able to see names or other information that could identify someone. Minority population participation is crucial in the All of Us research program. For instance, heart disease-researchers are exploring why Black people have a higher mortality rate for heart disease than white people.
Saint Louis University (SLU), in partnership with SSM Health, is the only location in Eastern Missouri and Southwest Illinois for adults to enroll. SLU is part of the Trans America Consortium, which is a network of 8 health care systems in the central U.S. Participation in the All of Us program is voluntary and confidential.
For additional information, please Visit https://joinallofus.org/saintlouis or call (314) 977-7600.
Denise Hooks-Anderson, MD, FAAFP can be reached at yourhealthmatters@stlamerican.com