Perspectives on DNA
Perspectives on DNA

Perspectives on DNA

Tuesday December 17th 2019 | 19:45 – 21:30 | Instituto Cervantes Utrecht |Domplein 3, 3512 Utrecht |

DNA is the most important carrier of our genetic material. It is the molecule that not only determines your hair or skin colour, but also which hereditary diseases children can get from their parents. In addition, your genetics can even tell you which general region of the world you’re from, which is getting ever easier to analyse using websites such as Ancestry or MyHeritage. Some companies even state that they can determine how healthy you are based on your DNA. But what exactly is DNA, and what does it really say about an individual? How does aging impact DNA, and what are the consequences of editing DNA?

We will delve into these topics four speakers. Jan Hoeijmakers is molecular biologist and expert on aging, cancer and DNA. Marieke van Dooren is clinical geneticist and expert on commercial DNA tests. Marco Boks is psychiatrist and researcher at UMC Utrecht and expert on the impact of traumatic stress on DNA. Elianne Gerrits is expert on the risks and applications of editing DNA.

This talk is free of charge. Afterwards, there will be drinks at cafe Hemingway!