Mấy tháng trước có người bạn tag mình vào một post đang thảo luận sôi nổi về việc ứng dụng Trí Tuệ Nhân Tạo và Máy Học để xem có loại thuốc nào có thể sử dụng để hạn chế sự tấn công của virus corona. Mình có trao đổi với team Scientists của Genetica. Sau mấy tiếng thảo luận, bọn mình rút ra kết luận là không practical, vì quy trình của việc thử nghiệm thuốc sẽ mất rất nhiều thời gian, feedback loop cho machine learning sẽ&nbsp;rất dài và không hiệu quả.Nhưng nhờ buổi thảo luận đó, các bạn Scientists lại gợi ý là. Sao máy không học dữ liệu của các đại dịch toàn cầu trong quá khứ. Các đại dịch như SARS-CoV đã tràn qua cả Việt Nam, hay đại dịch MERS-CoV (đại dịch Hô hấp cấp Trung Đông) đã làm điên đảo thế giới một thời. Các đại dịch này đều liên quan đến các chủng của virus corona.Các bạn nói và bắt tay vào làm luôn. Sau mỗi đại dịch, các nhà khoa học đã công bố dữ liệu nghiên cứu về khả năng nhiễm virus của con người. Nghiên cứu đã chỉ ra rằng có những người mang các gen làm cho họ dễ nhiễm virus hơn những người khác rất nhiều. Không chỉ dừng lại ở đó, các nghiên cứu cũng chỉ ra rằng với một số người mang các gen “xấu", khi bị nhiễm SARS-CoV, thời gian chữa trị sẽ kéo dài và hậu quả của SARS-CoV để lại nhiều hơn hẳn những người khác.Mình rất tự hào về đội ngũ Scientists của Genetica. Ngay trong mùa dịch, các bạn đã ra lò sản phẩm G-CoVi (Gene Coughing Virus) với các thông tin cụ thể về nguy cơ nhiễm virus của mỗi con người thông qua thông số gen của họ. Hệ thống máy học của Genetica đã học từ hơn 250 các công trình nghiên cứu quốc tế, tự động lọc ra hơn 30 gen và hơn 80 các đột biến có tác động lớn nhất đến nguy cơ nhiễm virus qua đường hô hấp.Mỗi lần một đại dịch toàn cầu qua đi, nó không chỉ để lại những tổn hại về kinh tế hay sức khoẻ, mà nó cũng mang lại những thông tin hữu ích để chúng ta khai thác, giúp phòng vệ cho loài người trong các đại dịch trong tương lai. Hy vọng những thông tin gene mà hệ thống của Genetica “học" từ đại dịch SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, H1N1, H5N1, ... sẽ giúp đánh giá nguy cơ nhiễm virus của mỗi người, và qua đó có thể cá nhân hoá việc phòng tránh virus cho thật hiệu quả.Để biết thêm chi tiết. Mời các bạn download Genetica Mobile App để tìm hiểu thêm:iOS: <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/genetica/id1475880490" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://apps.apple.com/us/app/genetica/id1475880490</a>Android: <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.genetica.id" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.genetica.id</a>(Bài đăng trên trang cá nhân của anhTuấn Cao - CEO Genetica®)&nbsp;

Học được gì từ những đại dịch toàn cầu trong quá khứ?

Like most aspects of human behavior and cognition, intelligence is a complex trait that is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors.Intelligence is challenging to study, in part because it can be defined and measured in different ways. Most definitions of intelligence include the ability to learn from experiences and adapt to changing environments. Elements of intelligence include the ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, and understand complex ideas. Many studies rely on a measure of intelligence called the intelligence quotient (IQ).Researchers have conducted many studies to look for genes that influence intelligence. Many of these studies have focused on similarities and differences in IQ within families, particularly looking at adopted children and twins. These studies suggest that genetic factors underlie about 50 percent of the difference in intelligence among individuals. Other studies have examined variations across the entire genomes of many people (an approach called genome-wide association studies or GWAS) to determine whether any specific areas of the genome are associated with IQ. These studies have not conclusively identified any genes that have major roles in differences in intelligence. It is likely that a large number of genes are involved, each of which makes only a small contribution to a person’s intelligence.Intelligence is also strongly influenced by the environment. Factors related to a child’s home environment and parenting, education and availability of learning resources, and nutrition, among others, all contribute to intelligence. A person’s environment and genes influence each other, and it can be challenging to tease apart the effects of the environment from those of genetics. For example, if a child’s IQ is similar to that of his or her parents, is that similarity due to genetic factors passed down from parent to child, to shared environmental factors, or (most likely) to a combination of both? It is clear that both environmental and genetic factors play a part in determining intelligence.Reference: <a href="https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/traits/intelligence" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/traits/intelligence</a>

Is intelligence determined by genetics?

Some really are born leaders; according to a new study, the likelihood of occupying a leadership role is affected by your genes.&nbsp;Researchers looked at the genetic makeup of 3,500 people and identified those who have supervisory positions at work. They calculated that those who have the DNA sequence known as rs4950 were 24 percent more likely to occupy these roles. These people are suggested to be more likely to possess leadership qualities, although the study did not identify a direct link between rs4950 and any specific traits.&nbsp;“We have identified a genotype which appears to be associated with the passing of leadership ability down through generations”, said lead author Dr Jan-Emmanuel De Neve from the UCL School of Public Policy. “Although leadership should still be thought of predominantly as a skill to be developed, genetics - in particular the rs4950 genotype - can also play a significant role in predicting who is more likely to occupy leadership roles”, he continued.&nbsp;The study looked at identical twins, who have identical genotypes, and non-identical twins, whose genotypes vary. Given that non-identical twins generally have the same upbringing, any trait that frequently appears in only one of the two, while being shared between identical twins, can be said to be hereditary.&nbsp;The authors of the study call for more research into the effects on personality traits of different genotypes, including rs4950 which 50 percent of the general population possess. They do note however that “genetic factors do not explain most of the variance in leadership emergence” and hope that their research will be used in an attempt to identify the environmental factors that promote leadership qualities, rather than as a tool to select potential leaders.&nbsp;“Our work also draws attention to the ethical issues surrounding the use of genetic tests for leadership selection and assessment, and that we should seriously consider expanding current protections against genetic discrimination in the labor market”, said Dr De Neve. “If we really want to understand leadership and its effect on organizational, institutional, economic and political outcomes, we must study both nature and nurture', he added.&nbsp;The team analyzed data from two US health studies; the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health and the Framingham Heart Study. The study was published in the journal The Leadership Quarterly.Reference: <a href="https://www.bionews.org.uk/page_93954" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); background-color: transparent;">https://www.bionews.org.uk/page_93954</a>

Leadership influenced by genetics, claim scientists

The role of COMT gene is related to the activity of an enzyme also called COMT. This enzyme has the job of deactivating the neurotransmitters released in response to stress. As the COMT enzyme breaks down your neurotransmitters, the physical signs they have produced will start to subside. If the enzyme works slowly, neurotransmitters won’t be broken down as quickly, so levels will remain higher for longer in the brain. If the enzyme is hardwired to work more quickly, neurotransmitters will be broken down far more rapidly and so levels will tend to be lower.&nbsp;Worriers: Reduced clearance of neurotransmitters because the COMT enzyme is working slowly will result in higher levels of dopamine in the brain. Such people often have a lower pain threshold and an increased sensitivity to stress&nbsp;Warriors: A genetic predisposition towards increased COMT activity will lead to decreased dopamine levels. This is connected with a higher pain threshold and an increased capacity to deal with stress.Full article here: <a href="https://www.amchara.com/genetics-dna/how-our-genetics-predispose-us-to-react-to-stress" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(5, 99, 193);">https://www.amchara.com/genetics-dna/how-our-genetics-predispose-us-to-react-to-stress</a>&nbsp;

Worriers and warriors – It’s in your genes

New research from the Twins Early Development Study at King's College London Institute of Psychiatry (IoP), published in PLoS ONE on February 2nd, shows that measures used to judge the effectiveness of schools are partly influenced by genetic factors in students.The study, funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC), was conducted by scientists in the UK at the MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's IoP, and in the US at the University of New Mexico.The assumption behind measures of school effectiveness is that changes in student performance over time must be explained by the quality of the school environment. So the quality of education can be measured by the amount of improvement over time.However, using data on school performance over time from 4000 pairs of twins from the Twins Early Development Study the researchers have shown that this and other approaches to assessing school quality do not measure the school environment alone. Perhaps unexpectedly, these measures are also substantially influenced by genetic factors that children bring to the classroom.Dr. Claire Haworth, a lecturer at the King's IoP and lead author of the study said: "These findings do not mean that educational quality is unimportant, in fact environmental factors were just as important as genetic factors. However, these results do suggest that children bring characteristics to the classroom that influence how well they will take advantage of the quality.She continues "Consider a classroom full of students being taught by the same teacher. Some children will improve more than other children, even though their educational experience at school is the same."Future research will aim to identify which characteristics in the child allow them to gain more from their educational experience. High on the list of candidates are motivation, persistence, and self-control, all of which are already known to show genetic as well as environmental influence, and are likely to affect school learning.This genetic perspective on education suggests moving away from thinking of children as passive recipients of knowledge in education to an active view of learning in which children select, modify and create their own education in part on the basis of their genetic propensities. The research supports the trend towards personalizing education to each child's individual strengths and weaknesses.Reference: <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110202172258.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110202172258.htm</a>

Children's genes influence how well they take advantage of education, twin study shows

A gene involved in the regulation of emotions and behavior could influence the long-term impact of violence experienced in childhood on antisocial behavior. This is the finding of a longitudinal study carried out by a team of researchers at the Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal (CIUSSS de l'Est-de-l'Île-de-Montréal) and Université de Montréal on 327 young men who live in Quebec (Quebec Longitudinal Study of Kindergarten Children), some of whom were exposed to violence as children.These studies found that MAOA is an enzyme that breaks down neurotransmitters called monoamines (noradrenaline, serotonin and dopamine), and a dysfunction in its action in certain areas of the brain may disrupt the regulation of emotions and behavioral inhibition. "So far, studies investigating how the MAOA gene is involved in antisocial behavior in interaction with adverse childhood experiences have been inconsistent. We did this study to try and clarify the situation," stated Ms. Ouellet-Morin.In short, this study has also demonstrated that the MAOA gene moderates the expression of antisocial behavior in young men who are exposed to violence as children. On average, men who are carriers of a less frequent polymorphism of the MAOA gene (approximately 30% of men) are at a higher risk of exhibiting these outcomes in adolescence and in early adulthood compared to those without this polymorphism but who also have been exposed to violence as children.These results clearly show that genes do not hold all the answers about an individual's future, at least no more so than the environment. The debate between nature and nurture is a false one. The challenge now is to better understand the mechanisms through which either vulnerability and resilience occurs in people who are exposed to adverse life experiences. Part of the answer lies in a person's constant interaction with the environment, which includes his or her genetic baggage," concluded Ms. Ouellet-Morin.Source: <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160113101107.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160113101107.htm</a>

Antisocial behavior: Understanding influence of genes and the environment

The study of identical twins reared apart is a natural experiment where two individuals with exactly the same genes grow up in different environments. If they turn out to be similar, then the similarity can be attributed to genotypeBehavior geneticists concluded that genetics plays a big role in personality, accounting for about half of the differences in personality test results and even more of the differences in IQ scores.Establishing that some behavioral traits are heritable is not the end of the scientific mission but really just the beginning. We need to know not just that genes affect behavior but also have to establish which genes are involved and how they affect the biochemistry of brain cells in ways that influence behavior.Personality psychologists recognize that gene effects are difficult to separate from environmental influences. Children growing up in the same home experience that environment very differently because they have distinct temperaments, are treated differently by parents and siblings, and pursue different interests with different companions.Read more: <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-human-beast/201509/what-behaviors-do-we-inherit-genes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-human-beast/201509/what-behaviors-do-we-inherit-genes</a>

What Behaviors Do We Inherit Via Genes?

The right genes may help you become an organization's next president or CEO. But the same genes may also hinder your leadership path, according to Kansas State University psychological sciences research.Wendong Li, assistant professor of psychological sciences, and collaborators have found a "mixed blessing" for workers who hold workplace leadership positions, from the formal leader of a CEO to an informal group leader. Their study focused on the dopamine transporter gene DAT1, which can influence leadership and is important for reward and motivation systems in humans."It's like a mixed blessing -- this gene can have both positive and negative effects on leadership," Li said. "An implication is that it really depends on environmental factors to determine if overall it is a positive or negative."On the positive side, the researchers found that people who had the 10-repeat allele in the dopamine transporter were most likely to engage in adolescent mild rule-breaking behavior, which is positively associated with leadership, Li said. Such mild rule-breaking behavior may include actions such as skipping class, but it is not serious deviant behavior such as shooting.On the negative side, the researchers found that people with the dopamine transporter gene scored lower on proactive personality, which can lead to positive changes at work and is important for leadership emergence.The takeaway from the study? To become a leader and be a good leader involves multiple factors -- genes and the environment -- working together, Li said. Some influential environmental factors -- though not studied in this research -- can include democratic parenting, a supportive family, and a challenging and cultivating workplace.Reference: <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150519122305.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(5, 99, 193);">https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150519122305.htm</a>&nbsp;

Genes may influence leadership in the workplace

When Duke University School of Medicine a connection between the presence of specific genes and the achievement of better socioeconomic outcomes. Their conclusion: Your success is shaped by your genes. Professor Belsky defended this research.He started with the results of large data-mining studies involving tens of thousands of human genomes, which identified gene variants linked with particular educational outcomes and the strength of those links. Finally, he concluded that, “our genes can affect our future”. But we also know that human development stems from a complex interaction of the genes we inherit and the environments we encounter. Nature and nurture combine to make us who we are.In their study they found that kids who had higher polygenic scores started to master language at a younger age; they talked earlier and read earlier and faster than their peers. Perhaps interventions that increase all children’s language skills at younger ages might help more people follow successful trajectories. Going forward, bigger data sets may help them understand why some kids with low polygenic scores nevertheless achieve successful outcomes or why some kids with higher scores still struggle. These “outliers” can provide clues to how we might change children’s environments to improve their outcomes.Belsky think one important contribution of his work is to document that the genetics originally discovered in studies of educational attainment are not about education specifically. Instead, they relate to a range of personal characteristics—including IQ but also noncognitive skills, like self-control and being able to get along well with others. These traits enabled kids with high polygenic scores to succeed not just in school but well beyond. In fact, differences in education explained only about half the effect on long-term life success we found. Also, even though kids born into better-off families did tend to have slightly higher polygenic scores, higher scores predicted success no matter what kind of conditions a child grew up in.Full article here: <a href="https://hbr.org/2017/01/your-success-is-shaped-by-your-genes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">https://hbr.org/2017/01/your-success-is-shaped-by-your-genes</a>