What’s one thing you like about genetics and one thing you wish was different?

Charlene Kay answered on 11 Nov 2022:

I like studying genetics because it’s interesting! And, because it can tell us a lot about how the body works and, in my case, how breast cancer grows and how it responds to treatment.

The one thing I wish was different about working in genetics and in a lab in general is the pace can sometimes feel slow. It can take quite a lot of time to do the lab work and analysis that is involved in a lot of our studies, and then even more time for it to ever get translated to a clinical trial and then actually to the patients themselves. It’s more frustration than anything because I wish it all went faster!

Matthew Swift answered on 11 Nov 2022:

Genetics is extremely interesting and important because it basically defines nearly everything about us and can have huge impacts throughout our life. I love that through gaining an understanding of genetics we essentially have a cheat code to prevent a lot of illnesses and to guide treatments.

One thing I’d change is the time it can often take to investigate genetics, it requires a lot of patience to filter through results to find things that are relevant and sometimes you can go after a target which isn’t too important which can be hugely frustrating!

Susan Campbell answered on 11 Nov 2022:

Genetics is really interesting, I love that it’s what makes each individual unique. Studying diseases through genetics and understanding the responses to treatments, lifestyle choices makes it a very interesting area of study.
Lab work in genetic research can be slow at times and can be frustrating if that at the end of a long experiment it doesn’t always give you what you hypothesised or it doesn’t have a great impact on the disease you’re studying.

Emily Southworth answered on 11 Nov 2022:

I like studying genetics because it affects every aspect of human health and disease; specifically in my field of cancer, I find it fascinating that no two tumours are alike in their genetic makeup. This influences everything – such as how aggressive the cancer can be, and how well patients respond to treatments.
Right now, I’m interested in a mutation in womb cancer that may drive poor prognosis in patients but it is a big maybe, and the high frequency of the mutation in patients who relapse may just be an association. I wish I knew more, but you never know if you don’t try!

Katie Pickup answered on 11 Nov 2022:

I like genetics because I think it’s wild how chemicals like DNA can control what we do (I guess everything in the world is essentially chemicals, which is quite weird to think about). Every cell in our body has the same DNA instructions, but different cells do different things with it. Everything is so complex which I think is really cool, but at the same time also frustrating as it’s really complicated to work out what’s actually happening in our cells.

I agree with some of the others that the worst thing in this field is that you can spend weeks, often months setting up things for an experiment, only for something to go wrong further down the line and essentially waste a lot of what you’ve been working on. It’s all good learning experiences but that’s often not much consolation when a critical experiment hasn’t worked!

Gabrielle Harker answered on 11 Nov 2022:

Genetics helps to explain what makes each of us unique, but also has key a role to play in health and disease. By studying genetics, we can get a much better understanding of this role and use it to guide the development of new medicines, technology and even our everyday lifestyles. With genetics there is always something new to discover, and that makes it extremely fascinating to study!

One difficulty that comes with working in genetics is the lab work, as sometimes you can spend a long-time planning and running experiments only for things not to work out as you had hoped. Even though this can be very frustrating at times, having things go wrong is the best way to learn and improve.

Alisha Dordi answered on 11 Nov 2022:

The study of our genetics is an incredibly rewarding, yet arguably frustrating career choice. Our genetics shape the way we think, look and act, as well as tell us crucial things about our past AND future. Just as we have inherited unique genetic markers from our ancestors, our genetic makeup describes how our lives will play out. For example, scientists now know that if you have a certain genetic mutation (like the common BRCA1 in breast cancer) you are at higher risk for develop cancer / disease. It’s amazing how far we have come in our understanding of the human genome. globally. It is a still a word-wide effort to learn more.

One thing I wish was different would be… the availability and success of personalized medicines to the public. We are far off from a world in which everyone has access and the funding to receive medication. Not only this, but I would also love to live in a world where the amount of time it takes to create and screen personalized medicines, is shortened. It’s just a pipe dream for now and I hope one day we can achieve it.

Katie Williams answered on 14 Nov 2022:

I love working in the field of genetics because it is still a new and evolving field, and it is driving the future of healthcare. As someone who likes to learn and improve myself, working in the field of genetics means there is always something new to read up on and new discoveries being made that will change the way we work!

Working in clinical genetics in the NHS can be hard work, as the increasing demands of the expanding service means there is a lot more for everyone to do to keep on top of it. We are constantly growing and hiring, but in particular there aren’t many Bioinformaticians (like me) – have a look at my page if you’re interested in learning/asking me more questions about my role in genetics of healthcare and how needed these skills are high in demand in our future healthcare system.

Charli Corcoran answered on 14 Nov 2022:

I like working in this field because its so varied and interesting. And especially working in a core facility role, I get to be involved in a lot of different work. I think its fascinating that we can use animals like fish and mice to study human disease because of how similar our genetics are, despite looking so different.

A lot of people have talked about the time it can take to do the lab work and I guess I’m just echoing that really, It would be great if things could move more quickly and we could find answers to the problems we are studying quicker.

Clare Cornwell answered on 15 Nov 2022: last edited 15 Nov 2022 12:46 pm

I enjoy working in genetics as every day is different. One day I will be working with samples from Lupus cases, and the next I may be working with samples which are looking at the effects of a vaccine. Currently I am working with a large number of samples from pregnant ladies which is looking at the maternal immune system. It’s trying to find that piece of information which makes sense of things, why do certain individuals react differently to a disease, what treatment would be best, and can we identify patterns in the data?
The one thing I wish was different is that I wish we had an answer for very complex cases. At some point you have to realise you can’t solve everything you are investigating. There will always be questions left unanswered and further research to undertake. It’s like completing a puzzle and then realising there is a missing piece.

Sharon Madzorera answered on 16 Nov 2022:

One thing I like about genetics is how precise the structures are, down to the last molecule. Living organisms are absolutely amazing. One thing I wish could be different is how hard it is to figure put some of the developmental disorders we see out there. I wish the answer could be easy and straight forward.

Eddie Cano Gamez answered on 17 Nov 2022:

What I like the most about genetics is the amount of information we can get nowadays about people’s DNA and how it works. We can literally measure thousands upon thousands of variables based on DNA techniques, and the applications are endless: from understanding how ancient humans evolved to learning how our bodies fight disease, which medications are likely to work, and what makes us who we are.

Unfortunately most of the research done in genetics so far has been based on people from Europe. I wish that was different, and I hope in the future we will get to study more and more minority and underrepresented populations, because there is a lot we can learn from them.

Daniel Biggs answered on 18 Nov 2022:

I have to be honest and say that I like many aspects about genetics, from the initial buzz of a good result through to seeing a finished, and published, article highlighting the research that can have an impact on our understanding. An aspect I enjoy most may not be specifically about genetics but more my role within the field. I like the community, whilst some areas are competitive, the general community is open and good natured. I feel like I can approach most people within the physical building, but also the community for help and advice.

One thing that could be different? I feel like there is more that can be done to reach out to the general public and show them just how impactful the research being carried out in the whole genetics field can be of good. I feel sometimes the media, and social media sites, can jump on a scientific breakthrough and quickly direct attention to the most extreme outcome(s).

I hope that answers your question

Mukta Deobagkar answered on 25 Nov 2022:

I find genetics very interesting and think it is important because it is so relevant to every one of us, our bodies and our health. Whether we study the genetics of fruitflies, zebrafish, animals or humans, we learn a little something more every time and that brings us a bit closer to more effective and personalized treatments in the future.

One of the things I wish were different is that we had more diversity in the genetic datasets we research. This would be important for people from all over the world if they are to access and use these resources to make informed choices about their health in the future. This is changing slowly and we can already see how it benefits not only health professionals but also researchers!

Question: What’s one thing you like about genetics and one thing you wish was different?

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