Lupus: Discovery of New Gene Variant
Our immune system is the protective mother of the cells that stop bad or unhealthy cells from attacking our cells. But, when a person develops an autoimmune disorder, the immune system recognizes normal healthy cells as bad cells and starts attacking them. A common autoimmune disorder is Lupus. Lupus is an autoimmune disorder whereby the […]
4 Traits To Thank Our Mothers This Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day is around the corner. What other way to celebrate than to acknowledge the amazing traits that are passed to us? Mothers spent most of our childhood nurturing and educating us about life, and building these traits in us even before our birth. These are the four traits that we inherited from our mothers. […]
eDNA: Leave some, Gain many
What exactly is eDNA? Every living thing leaves traces of their genetic make-up in the environment wherever they go. It can be in the form of a strand of hair, a piece of dead skin, nail clippings, fecal droppings, and many more. The “shedding” left within the environment is termed environmental DNA (eDNA). These DNAs […]
Alopecia Areata, the Story Behind the Ordeal
Alopecia is the umbrella term for hair loss. There are many types of alopecia, ranging from environmental factors to genetic factors. Alopecia areata or patchy baldness is a condition that causes hair to fall in small patches. It may be unnoticeable but when the patches connect, then it will seem noticeable. The bald patches can […]
The CRISPR-Cas9 Genome Editing System
Every cell in our body contains a copy of our genome. The human genome comprises over 20,000 genes and three billion letters of DNA. Human DNA consists of two strands, twisted into a double helix and held together by a simple pairing rule (A pairs with T, and G pairs with C). Our genes shape […]
How Our Genes Affect Our Creativity
If you’ve ever had to find answers to complex problems, chances are you’ve also experienced a “Eureka!” or “Aha!” moment while you’re solving. This feeling is actually a creative cognitive thought process called insight problem solving (IPS). As an ‘all-at-once’ process rather than trial-and-error, IPS is important in our everyday activities and socialisations, such as […]
How Genes Make Us More Susceptible To Coronaviruses
Did you know that our genes can actually influence us to be more susceptible to coronaviruses? But how? The common belief is that everyone has an equal chance of getting infected from coronaviruses upon exposure. However, studies have suggested that genetic variations in immune function-related genes (E.g. human leukocyte antigens) are emerging as a critical […]
Project CoviDNA: Identify Your Coronavirus Infection Risk & Severity
Malaysian health tech startup, Advanx Health, has released a DNA report that identifies your genetic predisposition in infection risk and severity upon exposure to coronaviruses. The coronavirus DNA report, titled Project CoviDNA, is Advanx Health’s first internal research initiative. The coronavirus report will be made available to all Advanx Health customers for free. Petaling Jaya, […]
How Your Genes Affect Your Skin Tone
Our skin consists of many melanocytes which are specialised cells that produce melanin. What is Melanin? It is a pigment that gives colour to our skin, hair, and eyes. There are 2 forms of melanin – eumelanin and pheomelanin. The amount of melanin your body produces helps to determine your skin tone. Those with more […]
The Secret to Glowing Skin: Antioxidants
Skin. The largest organ of our body and most of the time, its importance does not match up to its priority. Granted that skincare routines are taking on a more vital role in the lives of people but are they getting its due credit? Skincare, most time, is looked upon as more of a beauty […]