Rare DNA has prevented 13 people who had genetic mutations for major childhood diseases from showing any physical symptoms of the illnesses during adulthood, based on a new study. The research included over half a million people and nearly 600 childhood sicknesses. It means that a very small percentage of people inherit mutations for major diseases but their "superhuman DNA" prevents them from later developing the disease, and could result in new medical treatments.      

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The huge study shows that the 13 people might not know about their special genes since they did not sign any documents that allowed the researchers to contact them a second time, according to The Guardian.  

However, Stephen Friend of Sage Bionetworks in Seattle, Washington shares that researchers can now conduct a more methodical search for people with the rare genetic makeup. Friend was one of 30 scientists who report in Nature Biotechnology journal on a search for people in past studies who could be unaffected by inherited genes linked to various diseases.   

The scientists collected data from several sources. They include surveys and medical data from healthy adults from sources such as the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, and other organizations.   

Researchers focused their search on healthy adults who inherited severe childhood diseases, which allowed them to check if adults had experienced any symptoms of the major illnesses.

The scientists sifted through 875 genes connected to 584 conditions such as cystic fibrosis (CF). They found 13 people who had genetic mutations for eight of the powerful diseases but did not show any symptoms.  

The researchers are not sure how the superhuman DNA prevents people from showing signs of inherited diseases. Scientists think that something in their genetic makeup protects them from results due to the mutations, while environment could also be a factor.  

In related news, a recent study published in Genes and Development reveals that genetically-engineered mice with a rare kidney disease show how cells fix broken DNA, according to EurekAlert.

The rodents had a weak defense against drugs that cause DNA cross-links because their cells lack a working DNA repair system. This will give researchers the ability to develop better tools to fix DNA damage.

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