YORK, Pa. — A year ago, WellSpan Health launched a community research program that looks at genetic factors that may influence a person's health.
The Gene Health Project at WellSpan Health gives community members the chance to learn about their hereditary and genetic predisposition for inheriting serious illnesses like heart disease and cancer. So far, Dr. David Kann says 30,000 people have signed up for the simple blood test.
"We have had 300 volunteers that have learned about those problems and are now in a position to significantly engage in preventative measures," Dr. Kann said.
One of the first volunteers was WellSpan employee Kim Brister. As a breast cancer survivor, Brister wanted to participate to find out if her children were at risk.
"I got the results back... and they said you don't have the gene that causes cancer... all that came back negative, which was a huge sigh of relief," she said.
As an added bonus, volunteers also get back reports about their ancestry and genetic traits--like caffeine sensitivity and sleep patterns.
"My information was very accurate, and I said 'that's why I don't like cilantro, isn't it' and it's like, no, it doesn't taste great to you," Brister explained.
Dr. David Kann says the ultimate goal of the Gene Health Project is to use the data of 100,000 volunteers to advance health care for our community.
"Think about it... each of us has 23,000 genes, and if you multiply that by 100,000 participants, you come up with a very large number, and with super computers and artificial intelligence, we're going to be able to learn a whole lot about the causation and prevention of these diseases," Dr. Kann said.
The project is free to participate in, but you must be at least 18 to apply. For more information or if you'd like to apply, click here.