Humans are all almost exactly the same... almost - Greg Foot
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While all humans share 99.9% of our DNA, differences in the remaining 0.1% hold important clues about the causes of diseases— and their potential treatments. The problem is, the genetics that researchers are combing through are heavily biased to those of people from European descent, and often overlook other ethnicities. Greg Foot explains the importance of ethnic diversity in medical research.
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Two sisters take the same DNA test. The results show that one sister is 10% French, the other 0%. Both sisters share the same two parents, and therefore the same set of ancestors. So how can one be 10% more French than the other? Tests like these rely on our DNA to answer questions about our ancestry, but DNA actually can’t tell us everything. Prosanta Chakrabarty explores the accuracy of DNA tests.
Explore how the COVID-19 pandemic has been a catalyst for significant shifts in the clinical trial landscape and has had widespread impacts on healthcare.
When scientists don't know the cause of a medical condition, developing a drug treatment takes significant trial and error, and lots of money— which is why we only have drugs for a small proportion of diseases. Researchers are hoping to change this using crowdsourced DNA. So how does this work, and what do your genes have to do with it? Greg Foot digs into the science of therapeutic targets.
Dig into this analysis of the current state of diverse representation within clinical research.
Get to know the basics of how clinical trials operate, why they are important, and how different factors (like race, ethnicity, age, sex, sexual orientation, and others) can influence how people experience disease.
Two sisters take the same DNA test. The results show that one sister is 10% French, the other 0%. Both sisters share the same two parents, and therefore the same set of ancestors. So how can one be 10% more French than the other? Tests like these rely on our DNA to answer questions about our ancestry, but DNA actually can’t tell us everything. Prosanta Chakrabarty explores the accuracy of DNA tests.
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Meet The Creators
- Educator Greg Foot
- Director Kirk Zamieroski
- Narrator Greg Foot
- Science Consultant Garrett Hellenthal, Karoline Kuchenbaecker, Suzana Hadjur
- Producer NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre
- Special Thanks Rosamund Yu, Patience Renias-Zuva
