How I Will Change the Study of Genetics by Chloe

How I Will Change the Study of Genetics by Chloe - June 2020 Scholarship Essay

I hope to bring change to the study of genetics, my intended career field, by learning about the inheritance pattern of asthma and finding a way to eradicate this chronic pulmonary disease. Asthma is an inherited chronic pulmonary disease which affects roughly 10% of Americans. Living with asthma is a daily struggle as there are a multitude of substances and situations an asthmatic encounters frequently which may trigger an asthma attack. Asthmatics are more susceptible to frequent respiratory infections, diseases such as the Coronavirus, and lung disease such as Pulmonary Fibrosis, which occurs from frequent infections and irritation in the lungs and is currently untreatable. While asthma may seem like an insignificant disease to cure, in the long term, this disease can seriously affect an individual's life and lead to a dependence on steroids which greatly weakens an individual's lungs. Finding a way to eradicate asthma would drastically change many individual’s lives and would make their day-to-day struggles much easier.
Asthma may not seem like a difficult disease to live with, but it can be a struggle for the individuals affected by this inherited disease. Asthma attacks occur when the lungs and airways are irritated by some sort of dust, allergen, intense exercise, or strong smell. During an asthma attack, the airways swell and mucus production in the lungs is greatly increased. This makes it extremely difficult for the individual suffering the attack to breathe. Because of the wide variety of triggers for this disease, asthmatics frequently struggle with their condition. Asthmatics often rely on an Albuterol inhaler or a steroid inhaler for a majority of their lives to breathe normally. These inhalers decrease the inflammation in the lungs, making it easier for the asthmatic to breathe. However, continued use of a steroid inhaler, which most asthmatics eventually end up relying on, greatly weakens the lungs. Once an individual is prescribed a steroid inhaler, they often must take this inhaler for the rest of their lives, greatly weakening their lungs and opening them up to other pulmonary diseases.
Asthma is a confusing disease as it does not follow the basic inheritance pattern of genetics; it is not classified as recessive, dominant, or sex-linked as its inheritance pattern is sporadic and difficult to predict. I would like to learn more about the inheritance pattern of Asthma by studying individuals affected with this disease and the inheritance pattern of this pulmonary disease throughout their family trees. I hope to impact my intended career field by discovering how asthma is inherited, making it easier to eradicate this disease through gene therapy. Gene therapy is the process of eradicating certain inherited diseases or traits through the genetic engineering of the sperm or egg cell. Gene therapy is not actively being tested due to ethical reasons as there are many conflicting views on the process and the overall outcome of gene therapy is currently unknown. Learning more about the inheritance pattern of asthma will revolutionize the study of genetics because geneticists will have more information to refer to when studying other diseases which do not fit the classic pattern of trait-inheritance. When I am a geneticist in the future, I hope to pioneer gene therapy through my study of asthma and eradicate this pulmonary disease. By learning more about the inheritance of asthma, I will be advancing the knowledge of hereditary diseases and the knowledge I gain from studying this pulmonary disease may provide an increased understanding of other inherited diseases such as mental health disorders, or any new diseases which may be discovered before I become a geneticist. Because of this, my work as a geneticist will revolutionize genetics as a whole.