Essay on Epigenetics
Epigenetics is the study of cellular and physiological traits that are not caused by changes in the DNA sequence but they are triggered by chemical reactions that activate and deactivate parts of the genome and in specific locations. Therefore, epigenetics is the study of chemical reactions and factors that influence them. Hypothetically, epigenetics has the huge potential in terms of the uncovering genetic development of organisms, including humans, and the impact of chemical reactions that occur under the impact of various factors and affect genome activation and deactivation in specific locations. In this regard, further studies and development of epigenetics is essential but the impact and role of epigenetics should not be overestimated to make findings in this field applicable in the modern science, especially medicine and health care services.
In this regard, the development of epigenetics opens new perspectives for the further study of cancer prevention. The problem of the cancer prevention is one of the most challenging in the modern society because cancer involves cell mutations. Cell mutations involve transformations that eventually result in the development of cancer. Therefore, cancer is triggered by cellular mutations, which nature is unclear and researchers focus on the study of the development of effective mechanisms of forecasting of such mutations. To put it more precisely, current studies cannot explain why mutations occur and what factors are determinant for the mutation of cells. Factors that trigger cell mutation are not absolutely clear.
The emergence of the epigenetics helps to develop effective mechanisms of forecasting of possible cell mutations. To put it more precisely, epigenetics creates conditions for understanding mechanism of cell mutations. Cell mutations occur under the impact of chemical reactions that lead to changes and mutations in cells. As epigenetics studies those chemical reactions that trigger activation or deactivation of genomoe, then the study of those chemical reactions and their impact on genome can also help to uncover how various chemical reactions influence cell mutations.
Moreover, epigenetics can help to find out factors that influence specific chemical reactions, including those which cause cell mutations leading to the development of cancer in patients. In such a way, epigenetics open new horizons for scientific studies in the field of cancer study. At any rate, epigenetics can definitely help to understand better causes and mechanism of development of cancer and identify the major risk factors that cause cell mutations.
On the other hand, it is important to assess the potential of epigenetics adequately. For example, in case of the cancer treatment, the impact of epigenetics is currently overestimated frequently. To put it more precisely, epigenetics opens new opportunities for better understanding of causes of cancer and factors that can become drivers of irrevocable changes at the cellular level. However, epigenetics does not and cannot offer the universal remedy for the treatment of cancer. Instead, epigenetics just gives insights into better understanding of roots of the problem.
Scientists, in their turn, should keep working on the treatment of cancer using the new knowledge brought into the modern science by epigenetics. The understanding of causes of the disease and revelation of risk factors can help scientists to elaborate effective methods of the prevention of the disease as well as find effective approaches to its treatment. For example, focusing on risk factors and main driving forces of the development of cancer, scientists can develop new remedies and methods of treatment of cancer that minimize the impact of risk factors and drivers causing the disease. The expansion of scientific knowledge of cancer can help to understand the most effective ways of its prevention and treatment.
At the same time, epigenetics and its contribution to the treatment and prevention of cancer should not be overestimated. In fact, epigenetics is not a miraculous science that will provide health care professionals with a magical pill that will cure all patients from cancer. Even now, at the current level of the development of medicine and epigenetics, it is clear that cancer is a complex health problem that emerges under the impact of multiple factors (True & Lindquist, 2000). Moreover, there are no universal cases of the development and treatment of cancer. Instead, each case is unique, in its own way. Therefore, it would be an error to expect the universal remedy or method of the prevention of cancer, a sort of vaccine against cancer, from the further development of epigenetics.
Nevertheless, the positive impact of epigenetics on the development of medicine and treatment of cancer is obvious. In fact, epigenetics allows having a deeper view on roots of cancer and cell mutations. This is why this information may be useful for researchers, who study the problem of cancer, its development, treatment and prevention. Epigenetics can provide scientists with valuable information about cancer and cell mutation. More important, epigenetics uncovers specific chemical reactions and their impact on genome and, therefore, cell response on those chemical reactions. The study of such responses may help to uncover new properties of cells that can be used further in the treatment of cancer or in the prevention of the disease.
At the same time, the potential and scope of epigenetics should not be narrowed down to the problem of cancer alone. In fact, epigenetics opens wide opportunities to enhance studies in the field of medicine, biology, zoology and other fields of science. In some directions, epigenetics can help to make a breakthrough in the development of some fields of science. This is why one should never narrow the scope and potential of epigenetics. The understanding of chemical reactions and genome activation and deactivation are extremely important for understanding of fundamental principles of the development of living beings and their functioning in the course of their existence.
At the same time, whatever the development of epigenetics leads the science to, one’s longevity depends not only on scientific findings but also on personal choices and lifestyle. To put it more precisely, the longevity and quality of life depends on the lifestyle of individuals. If they lead a sedative lifestyle, they are more likely to develop various health problems. On the contrary, active lifestyle leads to the minimization of risks of the development of serious health problems.
Thus, the development of modern science should come hand in hand with personal consciousness and understanding of the importance of the healthy lifestyle as one of the effective ways of prevention of the development of serious health problems. In this regard, findings in such fields as epigenetics are helpful for the prevention of such diseases as cancer but, overall, it is the individual, his/her environment and lifestyle that determine, to a significant extent his/her physical condition.
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