Genetic and genomic are two terms that are often used in an interchangeable manner, as the majority of UK citizens believe that they are one and the same. The mistake is even made by those who work in the fields of print and television media. However, genetic testing and genomic testing are two vastly different concepts and it is in the best interests of British citizens to learn about the various dissimilarities.
Appreciating the structure of genetic material is perhaps the best way to understand the differences. A person’s molecular information is stored within their molecular DNA. The molecular DNA is comprised of bases, which refers to a string of chemicals.
This string of chemicals plays an important role in determining the meaning of a person’s particular genetic message. In order to determine the genetic message, a geneticist must ascertain the order (also known as sequence) in which the bases are positioned on the string of chemicals.
Gene is a term that refers to a specific stretch of a person’s bases, which also provide the necessary instructions for the creation of a product. Examples of products created include hormones and enzymes. Every human body contains thousands of genes and they are spaced throughout the person’s set of DNA.
The DNA set is broken down into 23 different pairs of chromosomes. However, it does bear mentioning that there are certain DNA sequences located between the genes that are not responsible for any specific encoding purposes.
In the context of testing, the term “genetic” refers to the thorough examination of specific areas of a patient’s DNA. Should a geneticist decide to use genetic testing, they must first know the exact genes that they are looking at, in addition to having a basic understanding of how the gene biologically contributes to the onset of a disease or the development of a trait.
Genetic testing is usually used in instances where a patient is suffering from a disease that is hereditary. This gives the testers a better idea as to what they are actually searching for. Hereditary diseases can potentially be avoided when a patient allows themselves to undergo genetic testing, because it is much simpler to locate the presence of a defective gene under these circumstances.
Conversely, genomic testing is not as specific and is performed by a highly trained staff who are in search of variations that take place across a much wider segment of the patient’s genetic materials. Genetic focuses on one specific area, while genomic testing takes a more big picture view, searching both outside and inside of genes that are known to be functional.
There are no target genes in mind during genomic testing and investigators are not in search of additional knowledge about the biology of traits. Genomic testing is all about gathering as much information as possible, so that a doctor can decide if the patient requires aggressive treatment for their disease or a much more mild form of therapy. Large amounts of data are collected, which help investigators to learn more about the significance of various traits.
Even though genetic testing and genomic testing sound very similar to the untrained eye, each form of testing is administered with a completely different goal in mind. While genetic testing is typically focused on one specific genetic area related to the onset of hereditary disease, genomic testing is conducted in a more general manner, with the objective of collecting information to formulate a course of treatment.
If you have any further questions regarding genetic testing and genomic testing, feel free to contact KUER Clinics as soon as possible.