Over the past 100 years, and much more so in the past 40 years, medical science has been able to save an increasing number of babies (and mothers) being born that would have not survived if they had been born at any other time in human history. Is this having an impact on the human gene pool?

What’s your opinion on this? Is curing hereditary diseases on a genetic level a scientific possibility? If so, why there’s a focus on supressing those diseases or their symptoms?

  • @Tatar_Nobility@lemmy.mlOP
    1•2 years ago

    How do you mean?

    What I mean is that, while we are easing the symptoms, but for what purpose? I think modern medicine and the pharmaceutical industry have come to be content with the business model it created: Creating drugs for temporary relief, but what comes next? I’m not sure but Is there any genuine focus in say, preventing those diseases in the first place than just contain them indefinitely?

    • §ɦṛɛɗɗịɛ ßịⱺ𝔩ⱺɠịᵴŧ
      3•2 years ago

      One of my microbiology professors stated we treat symptoms since its much easier plus creates repeat patients/customers. At this stage in the game though the focus shouldn’t be on symptoms but genetics without question. Solving genetic variations resulting in too much or too little output of biochemicals is currently possible for select diseases yet results in a one time customer. Due to this aspect, the field of genetic repair has never been an area of true interest for the big spenders as they tend to care much more about the bottom line than their patients.

    • @lysy
      1•2 years ago

      Is there e.g. a country that started their, let’s say national medical science institute to tackle the topic from this other side? There must be at least one in this whole world, do you know of any?

      • @Tatar_Nobility@lemmy.mlOP
        1•2 years ago

        I was doing some digging and found the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), an EU institution. It receives less than €60 million annually (I don’t think this is much?)

        There’s also the Chinese equivalent, the CCDC. This is their website https://www.chinacdc.cn/en/

        Edit: On a national level, I don’t know how much impact they have

        • @lysy
          1•2 years ago

          Thanks! So we need to get info if they’re doing medical studies on new drugs and therapies.

    • Cold Hotman
      1•2 years ago

      I’m not sure but Is there any genuine gocus in say, preventing those diseases in the first place than just contain them indefinitely?

      Well, that’s a whole different discussion from the question you started with…