elaborated on he and his colleagues' intent<\/a> for this research effort in a press release accompanying the study:<\/p>\n"We believe that the interplay between an individual's genetics and the environment is a key to answering questions like, 'Why do some drugs work well for some people but not others?' or 'Why does pollution affect people differently?'" Reif said. "We wanted to address two related problems: Of all the tens of thousands of chemicals to which we are exposed, do some elicit differential sensitivity? And are there genetic factors that explain differential sensitivity?"<\/p>\n
Process and findings <\/strong>
Comparing the effects of amabectin on two different groups of zebrafish – one featuring fish that showed signs of aberrant development, one with unaltered specimens – and examining their genomes, Reif and his co-authors found an alternate version of a particular gene within the affected fish. Sox7, responsible for how the bodies of vertebrate animals form themselves, had mutated.<\/p>\nThe zebrafish that showed no ill effects from the chemical had the standard sox7 genetic code. Follow-up efforts confirmed the initial results of the study. Reif explained that these efforts were a "starting point," but one that could point the way toward confirming different reactions to chemical exposure on humans' part due to differences in genetic makeup. <\/p>\n
"Our high throughput screening approach allows us to quickly sort through the 'exposome' of chemicals to which we are exposed and look for relationships between genetics and environmental exposure, rather than be limited to preselected candidate exposures," Reif stated. "The work has implications for precision medicine, disease prevention and understanding how risk may differ across communities."<\/p>\n
Possibilities and implications <\/strong>
The study's abstract illustrates the essential quandary of any examination of chemical reaction among human beings or laboratory animals, as would occur in an environmental impact assessment: Despite how conclusively it has been shown that severe health problems and chemical exposure are often related, the reasons for that relationship are still sometimes elusive. In addition, the differences between the effects that can be seen in groups of people who were all exposed to the same chemical remains its own mystery more often than not. <\/p>\nReturning to the matter of PFOSs and PFOAs: The two chemicals, designed for inclusion in firefighting foam, electronic items and various other products, have been discovered all over the U.S. in numerous instances over the past several years, most alarmingly in various supplies of drinking water. They've been linked to cancer, birth defects, respiratory issues and various other health problems, solidifying the threat they represent. It will be quite some time before it's determined whether the study described above could help in the creation of treatments for these chemical exposures, but Reif and his co-authors believed they've arrived at a reasonable place to start. <\/p>\n