In the not so far off future, you will carry your genetic profile with you to help doctors key in on a proper diagnosis and treatment.
That was the assessment of Dr. Olufunmilayo Falusi Olopade, a University of Chicago researcher who was chosen by Villanova University as this year’s Mendel Medal winner in recognition of her work in developing innovative strategies for comprehensive cancer risk assessment and prevention. Olopade’s research is based on the understanding of genetic and non-genetic factors in individual patients, with a focus on women of African ancestry.
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In one study she did with 300 African American patients who came to the clinic in Chicago, 75 percent of the mutations that she found were in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes. She’s also studied done genetic studies on people in Brazil and India, as well as in Nigeria and the U.S., she said. Also, men can carry the mutation for breast cancer and pass it on to their offspring, as well as women.