INTERIM REPORT:GENE BASED DISEASE AND FUTURE GENERATIONS

TEAM GregChrisChasKaren

STI 2006 provided considerable background in epidemiology and modeling. Our

team decided to build on this information and to select a disease currently afflicting

human populations . Rather than focus on those diseases induced by a particular

etiologic agent (avian flu, aids, smallpox, plague, dengue fever, malaria, tuberculosis,

Hanta, tularemia, SARS, Legionaires, cholera, typhoid, sleeping sickness, Chaga’s

disease, brucellosis, anthrax, elephantiasis, condylamata lata, mad cow disease,

Lyme,West Nile, swine flu, etc.) we wanted to direct our project toward disease inherited

and passed on to future generations. Initially, we considered genetically endorsed

diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Aspberger’s Syndrome, Diabetes type I, Gaucher’s

Disease, Haemophilia,Jakob-Cruzfeldt Syndrome, Lou Gehrig ‘s Disease, Muscular

Dystrophy, Marfan Syndrome, Sickle Cell Anaemia, Tay-Sachs Disease, etc.

Currently , in the USA, all newborns are screened via programs in 46 of 50 states for

sickle cell trait. We felt that this database would provide us with better information to

model Sickle Cell Anaemia rather than any of the other prominent and/or prevalent

genetically induced diseases. This disease is predominantly found in people of

Mediterranean, Indian, and African descent but not exclusive to them. We looked into

the nature of the disease which is caused by a single gene mutation that codes for the

hemoglobin protein. A person can be homozygous recessive (diseased), heterozygous,

or homozygous dominant (non-carrier, unafflicted). Recent studies reveal that the

heterozygous state has an 8 to 10% prevalence in the USA with 0.5% of those diseased.

The prevalence rate allowed us to begin to think about the program with this as the

starting point. Marez and Alme initially wanted to create an array using JAVA but with

Mentor Brian Lewis (adjunct professor of Math, Kent State Univ) changed to a vector

oriented approach . The model includes an initial population of equal numbers of males

and females.

Sources for some of this aforementioned stuff:

“Mortality among children with sickle cell disease identified by newborn screening during 1990-1994” March 13,1998, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

http://www.findarticles.com/pp/articles/mi_m0906/is_n9_v47/ai_20403697/print

July 24,2006

“Mortality in sickle cell disease; Life expectancy and risk factors for early death” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez.fcgi:cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=7993409 July 24, 2006

“Sickle Cell Anaemia” 2006, by Ashok Raj,MD,

http://www.emedicine.com/PED/topic2096.htm July21,2006

“Sickle Cell Anemia; Hemoglobin SS disease (Hb SS)”

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000527.htm July 24, 2006

Reviewed by: A.D.A.M editorial. Previously reviewed by Jacqueline A. Hart, M.D., Department of Internal Medicine, Newton-Wellesley hospital, Harvard University.

“Sickle cell anaemia and S-thalassemia in Sicilian children”, 1992, by Giovanna Russo and Gino Schiliro. http://www.sicklecellsociety.org/information/resrep/res14.htm July 21,2006

“United States Birth Rate Information” CIA World Fact Book, January 1, 2005, www.indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx?c=us&=25 July 24, 2006