of hereditary cancer syndromes in indian patients while some of the gene mutations are the same as reported in caucasian families there are several new mutations not reported in the west that are quite common among indians says sarin however chennaibased xcode lab uses the publicly available genomewide association studies gwas catalogue database launched in july 2012 it identifies genetic variations that are responsible for slow metabolism of fats and carbohydrate and predispose one to accumulation of body fat the field of genetics is vast and research is ongoing of the three billion base pairs in the human genome scientists are only aware of a few genetic differences and what they hold out for individuals this implies two things genetic markers that have been identified arent the only ones that up the risk for a particular condition there could be more that havent been discovered as yet thus in a way the more customers approach diagnostic labs that also conduct research like actrec or srl the more they help the cause of science the hope underlying such testing is that early identification of individuals at risk of a specific condition will lead to reduced morbidity and mortality through targeted screening surveillance and prevention there are a host of questions that still need to be answered why do some people get the disease how does the environment contribute how can we best treat these conditions most predictive tests carry a degree of uncertainty about whether a condition will develop when it will develop and how severe it will be points out a study on the complexities of predictive genetic testing published in the british medical journal bhatnagar too had to grapple with what felt like a loss of control his genetic fate seemed sealed like actrec these labs too offer genetic counselling that helps people like bhatnagar regain control i didnt want to believe what this test was telling me then i learned that i could still make a difference to my health he says he quit smoking decreased 20 per cent fat from his diet and gave up nonvegetarian fare mostly he smiles luckily bhatnagars wife who also took the test with him doesnt carry the mutated gene which implies that their child has a 50 per cent chance of developing cad as an adult a condition that they can easily control in the eventuality that it is passed on much like their fathertest for whom since inception dr aashish contractor head of department for preventive cardiology and rehabilitation at the asian heart institute has recommended more than 20 patients for the hep test this is the tip of the iceberg and a lot of research is still to be done to make such tests 100 per cent reliable but i can say that the test does establish a connection between the apoe apolipoprotein and bad cholesterol and it is the way forward for the future he says interventional cardiologist dr haresh mehta sounds a