Are you still out in the dating scene, hoping to snag the one and only love of your life one day, but have failed to do so despite trying virtually every avenue possible known to man? Well, perhaps it really IS a question about chemistry, and Swiss company GenePartner has released its dating service that brings together both genders based on the correlation of genes that express the HLA (human leukocyte antigen) molecules. The main reason behind this move is because there is concrete evidence that shows ordinary folk tend to choose a partner based on their HLA-dependent odor type. More of the nitty gritty below.

The GenePartner project was inspired by a famous study performed by Prof. Dr. Wedekind at the University of Bern in Switzerland. In this study, Prof. Dr. Wedekind recruited female volunteers to smell T-shirts worn by men for three consecutive days and rate them for attractiveness. He then analyzed the particular part of DNA that codes for HLA (human leukocyte antigen) molecules and found that women preferred T-shirts from men whose HLA molecules were most different from their own. Sensing and classifying the HLA genes is something our bodies do automatically and subconsciously. HLA molecules play a central role in controlling the activation of immunological effectors during an immune response and are therefore essential for immune resistance. A greater variety in HLA genes offers a greater variety in possible immune responses. In terms of evolution, this makes perfect sense: children of couples with a higher variety in their HLA genes (and hence, immune responses) will have better protection from a greater variety of diseases. Simply put, this means that their body has more weapons to use in its defense against a disease. An important additional effect is that comparing HLA genes can help identify kinship and prevent potential inbreeding.

Are you going to sign up for this program after reading this? There are still no guarantees though, but it ought to have better odds compared to the local watering hole.

Source: Medgadget