Genes in the Headlines
From the first CRISPR cure to the science of memory, strength and a longer life — a curated look at the genes in the spotlight. Find the one that speaks to you, and gift a piece of the story.
In December 2023 regulators approved Casgevy — the world's first CRISPR gene-editing therapy. It works by switching off BCL11A in blood stem cells, reawakening the fetal hemoglobin we all make before birth, to treat sickle cell disease.
A symbol of a scientific miracle — and of resilience rewritten letter by letter.
GIFT BCL11AThe first drugs shown to slow Alzheimer's — lecanemab and donanemab — have put APOE back in the headlines, since a person's APOE type shapes both their risk and how they respond. It remains the most studied gene in the science of memory.
For the sharp mind and the keeper of memories — a tribute to everything we hold onto.
GIFT APOENamed after a Greek goddess of fate, klotho is one of the most exciting genes in aging research. Higher levels are linked to sharper minds and longer life in study after study — and boosting it is an active frontier in longevity science.
A wish for a long, vivid life — for a grandparent, a newborn, or a new beginning.
GIFT KLMyostatin puts a natural brake on muscle growth — and animals (and rare people) with less of it grow extraordinarily strong. It's a hot target for therapies aiming to fight muscle-wasting and frailty as we age.
The strength gene. For the powerhouse, the lifter, the one who never backs down.
GIFT MSTNAncient-DNA studies keep rewriting the story of lactase persistence — the mutation near LCT that lets many adults still digest milk. It swept through populations only a few thousand years ago, one of the fastest changes in our recent evolution.
A playful nod to heritage and the way our species is still, quietly, evolving.
GIFT LCTA rare variant of CCR5 closes the door HIV uses to enter cells, granting natural resistance — the basis of the only people ever cured of HIV. It also sits at the heart of the ongoing ethical debate over editing the human genome.
A gene of resilience and hope — for a survivor, a scientist, a believer in medicine.
GIFT CCR5FOXP2 was the first gene ever tied to human speech, and researchers still study it to understand how our species became the one that tells stories. New work keeps refining just how it shaped the human capacity for language.
For the storyteller, the teacher, the singer — anyone who moves people with words.
GIFT FOXP2BRCA1 is one of our great cellular guardians, repairing damaged DNA. Public conversations about it reshaped modern preventive medicine — turning a gene into a symbol of taking charge and protecting the people you love.
A symbol of protection and resilience — for someone who quietly shields others.
GIFT BRCA1G6PD is one of the clearest fingerprints of human adaptation: common variants spread precisely where malaria was deadliest, offering a measure of protection. It's a living record of our ancestors' fight to survive.
A tribute to heritage and the quiet resilience written into our DNA.
GIFT G6PDEvery Games, ACTN3 makes headlines as 'the gene for speed' — it builds the fast-twitch fibers behind explosive power, and one version is far more common among elite sprinters than in the rest of us.
The athlete's gene. For the competitor who leaves everything on the field.
GIFT ACTN3A curated, editorial selection grounded in real science. Every gift is a symbolic dedication celebrating human biology — never a medical claim or a prediction about anyone's health.