Genetic sequencing and testing has been used over the years not only to confirm the relationship between a certain disease a dn heredity but also to accurately identify some of the root causes of disorders including cancer. It is also responsible for helping would-be parents identify possible birth defects of their yet-to-be-born children.
However, since many doctors and scientists conduct genetic tests and analyses at slightly different ways, there's always the question of the credibility and accuracy of the approaches and the results.
Three new articles about the subject, submitted in Nature Biotechnology, allay the worry by saying regardless of the method, genetic analyses can provide accurate results. Moreover, any differences in variables that may exist can be improved to a better standard. Moreover, they can gather RNA for sequencing and produce accurate results from samples that have been around for some time such as tissue samples, which can be stored for more than a year.
More than 100 researchers across 12 countries participated in the study that concentrated on genomic sequencing of the RNA. Three institutions led it, namely, Mayo Clinic, Weill Cornell School, and Beijing Genomic Institute. These three have been chosen based on their extensive knowledge, expertise, and tools available. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration served as the source of funds for the study.
Based on the intensive research, genes extracted from the patients will produce the same result regardless where it's drawn and tested.
But to derive this conclusion, these three major institutions located in different countries analyzed a pair of samples of RNA at various times and more than once. The data they generated from these analyses were then forwarded to the FDA and then worked on by the rest of the researchers in various labs. They also assessed the methods and technologies used by these labs and scientists.
Science has taken huge strides in using genetic testing to help find cures or causes of diseases. In August 2014, Replikins Limited announced they had developed a possible synthetic vaccine for dengue fever through analyzing genetic structures of the virus.