THE HEALTHCARE TIMES

Our genomes are strange archives—nearly half of the human DNA isn't “ours” in the traditional sense but originates from ancient viruses. These remnants, known as Human Endogenous Retroviruses (HERVs) and other Transposable Elements (TEs), were once dismissed as “junk” DNA. But modern science is revealing them to be anything but irrelevant. Recent breakthroughs show that these viral relics are active players—regulating genes, influencing immunity, and even holding therapeutic potential in diseases like cancer, neurodegeneration, and beyond. --- 2. From Junk DNA to Regulatory Gold For decades, TEs and HERVs were labeled “junk,” yet a groundbreaking study published in Science Advances (July 2025) uncovered that nearly half of the human genome consists of TEs, many sourced from ancient viruses. A focused investigation on one family—MER11, particularly the youngest subgroup MER11_G4—revealed their transcription factor binding sites can actively switch on genes in stem and early neural c...

*Introduction: A New Era in Medicine Imagine visiting your doctor and receiving a treatment plan designed specifically for your genetic makeup—no trial-and-error prescriptions, no “one-size-fits-all” therapies. Welcome to the world of Personalized Medicine, where your DNA becomes the blueprint for your health journey. As technology rapidly evolves, healthcare is undergoing a transformation. We’re moving away from generalized approaches to disease treatment and embracing precision medicine—a model of care that considers individual variability in genes, environment, and lifestyle. This article dives deep into how DNA-based medicine is revolutionizing healthcare, what it means for patients, and what the future holds. 🧬 What Is Personalized Medicine? Personalized medicine, also called precision medicine, is a medical model that uses information about an individual’s genetic profile, biochemistry, and personal health data to: • Diagnose disease early • Predict how a patient will respond t...

  *Abstract - Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) is a targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach that focuses on the protein-coding regions of the genome, comprising approximately 1–2% of the human genome but accounting for an estimated 85% of disease-causing variants. By enriching and sequencing exonic regions, WES offers a cost-effective strategy to identify variants with potential clinical relevance. This document provides a comprehensive 3,000-word overview of WES, encompassing its history, technical workflow, bioinformatics analysis, clinical and research applications, limitations, ethical considerations, and future directions. 1. Introduction The completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003 ushered in an era of genomic medicine, yet the prohibitive cost and scale of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) limited routine clinical adoption. Whole Exome Sequencing (WES), first described in 2009, strategically targets the approximately 30 million base pairs of coding sequence—reg...

  Introduction - Genetics is the branch of biology that studies genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms. At its core lies the understanding of how traits are transmitted from parents to offspring, how genetic information is encoded, expressed, and regulated, and how genetic diversity arises across populations and species. From the discovery of DNA’s double helix to the latest CRISPR genome-editing tools, genetics has revolutionized medicine, agriculture, biotechnology, and our very perception of life. 1. Historical Milestones Pre-Mendelian Observations (Ancient–17th Century): Early breeders of plants and animals noted that offspring often resembled their parents, yet patterns were not formally studied. Gregor Mendel (1822–1884): In 1865, Mendel published his experiments on pea plants, revealing particulate inheritance and formulating the laws of segregation and independent assortment. Mendel’s work went largely un...