In the Genomic Era, the life expectancy can be 150 years

Amritsar, Feb 18 (UNI) Distinguished Genetic Scientists of international repute exhaustively deliberated the issues relating to Mental Retardation, Heritable Psychiatric Disorders, Type One Diabetes, Prenatal Genetic Counselling and Genetic Therapies for the Thalassemia during a symposium here today.

The Fifth International Symposium on Genetics, Health and Disease was being organised by the Department of Human Genetics and Centre for Genetic Disorders of the University. More than 400 delegates, including 60 from 25 countries, were participating in the international conference, according to officials.

Presenting his research, Prof N K Mehra of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, said in the Genomic era, the life expectancy could be 150 years in the next century with the precision in diagnosis and prevention of genetic disorders.

Dr Mehra also said India was the Genetic Capital of Type One Diabetes in the world. Different Genes, environmental factors and immune disregulation are the main causes of Type One Diabetes. He said although the IDDM1 gene on chromosome six has a major role in disease causation, there were at least 16 more genes which are involved ithe disease condition. MORE UNI JN SBC GC1822