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Reading Genes for Disease

A new world of genetic medicine has opened up, with tests that can provide people with a glimpse of their medical future. In a series of interviews, NPR's Joe Palca talks with people who have faced a decision to find out about their genes.

The Dilemma of Genetic Tests
Tests that can reveal a person's risk of a disease are perceived as a double-edged sword: The ability to diagnose the disease or to predict its arrival has outstripped the ability to treat it. May 30, 2004

Huntington's Disease
	Twenty years ago, Columbia University scientist Nancy Wexler helped identify the gene that causes Huntington's, an achievement that led to a genetic test for the disease. Then, she and her family had a decision to make: should they find out if they might develop the disease? May 16, 2004

Cystic Fibrosis
Katie Richardson, a 36-year-old attorney, has cystic fibrosis and is pregnant with her third child. She and her husband Terry talk about their decision not to test their unborn child for the disease. March 13, 2004

Breast Cancer
	Lauren Dubin's mother, sister and several cousins had all been diagnosed with breast cancer. The question that plagued her: Was the disease a random occurrence in her family, or was it caused by a specific, inherited genetic mutation? Feb. 22, 2004

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