The stories and people behind the humanitarian force that is UCSF
YW KanYW Kan is a pioneer of molecular genetics. With his UCSF colleagues he developed the first successful DNA-based prenatal tests for any disease. The tests Kan pioneered were for thalassemias and sickle cell anemia. These often fatal diseases result from abnormal genes for the oxygen-carrying protein hemoglobin protein. Thalassemias are a serious public health problem from the Mediterranean eastward through Southeast Asia. Sickle cell anemia is common in Africa.
