Iceland is famous for its glaciers, volcanoes, geysers, and lava fields, but beyond its tourist sites, the country might be the cure for Alzheimer's disease. Scientists flocked to the ice country to study human genetic variability and how it can give information on diseases and how to cure it.
Researchers believed that the key to understanding illnesses lies on the Icelander's DNA. They've found that genetic abnormalities contribute to ailments like Alzheimer's disease and liver disease.
Geneticist Kari Stefansson told CNN News, "We discovered a variant a few years back, maybe three or four years back, that confers protection against Alzheimer's disease. It's a rare (gene) variance found in about 1% of the Icelandic population, and if you carry that variant, you are almost completely protected against Alzheimer's disease."
Residents in Iceland have 90 percent pure, hereditary genes that can be traced to one Viking ancestor. Since they are more isolated than the rest of the world, their unique gene pool can easily be traced off in their family tree to know where the genetic abnormality started.
The variants found in some the residents have influenced the creation of proteins that make or break brain development. Stefansson's founded company deCODE and its parent organization, AMGEN, would like to reproduce that genetic variant found in Iceland and turn it into a medicine to cure various diseases.
Stefansson added that the country is making a notable mark in the field of medicine after he studied the genetic pool of the country for 20 years. However, many are also criticizing deCode's work about privacy as the group has access to the people's medical records.
Scientists told the public that the data they have are secured and encrypted. Most of the world's genes were harder to discover as it makes up to millions of genetic contributions found all over the world.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
