A new study that was published in the journal Nature Biotechnology suggests that there are a number of people in our society that carry what researchers call "superhero DNA." This DNA, according to the study, protects them from diseases that they would have normally developed. The researchers studied DNA of 589,309 people and found that 13 of the ones in the group should have developed one of eight "sever Mendelian childhood diseases."
Dr. Eric Schadt, from the School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York told BBC that "Millions of years of evolution have produced far more protective mechanisms than we currently understand" and that "most genomic studies focus on finding the cause of a disease, but we see tremendous opportunity in figuring out what keeps people healthy."
It is unfortunate however that the researchers can not use any of the data that was found due to the fact that the participants signed an agreement that mentioned that nothing could be traced back to them. However, the team has plans to revamp the study, but with participant who will agree to identify themselves.
I agree that this study should be conducted because it will provide use with useful knowledge on how their bodies fight these diseases, and we can later in the future use this knowledge and apply it to the creation of new vaccines.
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