Listen to What Recent NUgene Participants are Saying:

"I am proud of the fact that I am part of a pool that is helping researchers learn which genes play a part in the development of common diseases and I can only hope that in the end this will lead to cures." - Molly

"I was an active, exercising, 6-year ex-smoker, normal weight, healthy and happy 54 year old woman. In April of 2006, I was blindsided by the results of a routine scan that showed I had a 94% blockage of my carotid artery.
If studying my DNA will help to prevent this problem in others, I'll be even happier." - Denise

"I really think that the future of medical care and medical interventions will be at a genetic level, where drugs are customized for people and therapeutics are targeted to the source of a medical problem. This is more promising than going after a fly with a cannon, as we so often do, where we attack the whole body to treat one little group of cells." - Karla

"I have had insulin dependent diabetes since I was 5 years old-for 38 years. I have been relatively lucky over the years with limited complications and restrictions on my life... If I can help other people with this illness, I would be happy to. If there is a way to determine why some diabetics have few complications and others have many-despite good control, I would like to help make that happen. It is my hope that in the future, diabetes will not be such an all consuming part of a person's life." - Jennifer

"For several years now, much of what I have been reading about health and medicine has suggested that there are links between our genes and the health conditions and disease we suffer. I know that the heart condition that I have often runs in families. My reading and my own experiences tell me that medical progress grows from advances in medical research. So when my doctor at Northwestern told me about the NUgene Project, I was very willing and happy to sign on." - Michael

"I believe that research using DNA and other materials provided by human volunteers will enable less expensive, more effective drugs to be placed on the market sooner resulting in more saved and enhanced lives." - Gretchen