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Human genome project benefits and risks
The importance of the human genome project
Significance of human genome project
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The Genome Revolution For numerous years, the world’s most prestigious geneticists have been trying to crack the human genetic code, the intricate puzzle that defines each and every one of us as individuals. With the monumental success of the Human Genome Project, a new and exciting biological frontier is ready for exploration. The ramifications of the knowledge derived from this endeavor will no doubt be staggering for residents of the Rio Grande Valley and the world at large. The use of genetic sequencing in the medical field has innumerable possibilities; genomic medicine, as this new field is now called, will enable the human race to make immense advances in understanding how our genetic heredity makes us susceptible to some illnesses and immune to others. The detection of diseases with a high rate of heredity is just one facet of the gem that is genomics; once researchers are able to map out all of the vital components and rare alleles that sometimes play a large factor in disease, it will be possible to target these specific gene combinations, functional elements, and alleles. Because of the fact that protein, produced by our cells’ ribosomes, has an effect on the pathways that help express our inherited traits, it is important that we understand the relationship between DNA and protein, and how this affects the phenotype of an individual’s genetic attributes. For example, sickle-cell anemia is caused by a flaw in one nitrogenous base sequence in DNA. This flaw then translates into RNA, then into amino acids that determine the phenotype that the subject will have. The discrepancy in something as minute as a nitrogenous base and one amino acid makes the difference between a healthy, normal life and a life ... ... middle of paper ... ...our already impoverished area; any more of a license given to healthcare providers and employers to rid themselves of those who may potentially get sick would be morally and ethically reprehensible. Assessing the consequences of the information that the Human Genome Project may yield must be taken into consideration; the medical benefits must be weighed on a balanced scale with the ethical and moral ramifications to properly size up what we will do in the future. Residents of the Rio Grande Valley must be prepared to deal with the positive and negative aspects of this modern revolution that we call genetics. Works Cited Valley Baptist Health Care System—Valley Health Care Needs http://www.valleybaptist.net/foundation/healthcare_needs/default.html 18 Sept. 2003 The Human Genome Project—Official Website http://www.genome.gov 15 Sept. 2003
In 1990, the first great stride of genetics took place. This was called the Human Genome Project, a large-scale operation that was designed to understand the human genome (genetic structure). Since its commencement, there have been many leaps and bounds that have taken place. For certain genetic issues that we once knew nothing about, we no...
In 1989, molecular biologist Norton Zinder said,”Today we begin” (Begley 56). With these words, Zinder and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), formally launched a monumental effort that could rival in scope both the Manhattan Project, witch created the A-bomb, and the Apollo moon-landing program-and may exceed them in importance (Jaroff95). The Program will map the human and spell out for the world the entire message hidden in its chemical code. Robert Sinsheimer of the University of California at Santa Barbara says,”The human gene is the complete set of instructions for making a human being “(Begley57). The achievement of the project would launch a new era in medicine. They would be able to predict an individual vulnerability and could eventually develop new drugs to treat or even prevent them. Though they may not have known, thi...
Genetic engineering has been around for many years and is widely used all over the planet. Many people don’t realize that genetic engineering is part of their daily lives and diet. Today, almost 70 percent of processed foods from a grocery store were genetically engineered. Genetic engineering can be in plants, foods, animals, and even humans. Although debates about genetic engineering still exist, many people have accepted due to the health benefits of gene therapy. The lack of knowledge has always tricked people because they only focused on the negative perspective of genetic engineering and not the positive perspective. In this paper, I will be talking about how Genetic engineering is connected to Brave New World, how the history of genetic engineering impacts the world, how genetic engineering works, how people opinions are influenced, how the side effects can be devastating, how the genetic engineering can be beneficial for the society and also how the ethical issues affect people’s perspective.
The Human Genome Project is the largest scientific endeavor undertaken since the Manhattan Project, and, as with the Manhattan Project, the completion of the Human Genome Project has brought to surface many moral and ethical issues concerning the use of the knowledge gained from the project. Although genetic tests for certain diseases have been available for 15 years (Ridley, 1999), the completion of the Human Genome Project will certainly lead to an exponential increase in the number of genetic tests available. Therefore, before genetic testing becomes a routine part of a visit to a doctor's office, the two main questions at the heart of the controversy surrounding genetic testing must be addressed: When should genetic testing be used? And who should have access to the results of genetic tests? As I intend to show, genetic tests should only be used for treatable diseases, and individuals should have the freedom to decide who has access to their test results.
The Human Genome Project is essential for the human race to advance. With the ability to decimate human disease and even boost food resources, people will increase life expectancy alongside decreasing the percent of people around the world who go hungry each day. There can even be limits placed on Legal aspects of The Human Genome Project results that appease civil rights activists and will preserve ethics and diversity while still improving mankind. Humans will never have to fear disease or hunger. The future looks bright for all of mankind.
Craig Venter also discusses the increase in genetic knowledge over the last decade. Venter focuses on the differences between the expected results that would come from mapping genomes and the actual results that came from genome mapping. Scientists found that peoples’ genomes varied more than they expected, but that the technology is still not where it needs to be to completely draw these conclusions (or use the technology for diagnostic/predictive purposes). Overall, Hayden, Collins, and Venter conclude that the revolution is just beginning and that the ability of doctors to use genetic information is both far off and very near at the same time. Many more advances need to happen, but between all the scientists in the whole world, we have the tools to make this happen. They all agree that we will only know with time what the positive and negative consequences of such advances will
The human genome project is something that I have been very interested with ever since first learning of it. I had heard bits and pieces of what it is about, but my interest was greatly stimulated by Dr. Whited in basic genetics 311 last spring. The discussion that we had regarding the project left me with several ideas and questions about not only the process and ethics involved, but the future of the study of genetics as a whole.
As we have clearly seen, medicine for profit is not solving the problems of the healthcare system and many people are going bankrupt, dying, and choosing suicide over costly bills. Maybe we should learn from all of these situations and numbers and see that, like the UK did, we should be looking at ways to expand our basic human rights to include healthcare. The question at hand was is healthcare a right or a privilege, reviewing all facts, and data given you will see that Health Care in the United States is a privilege. It seems very vile to have resources, and services to deny a person who has a curable illness or disease, because they don’t have proper health care. However, this is the society we live in where liberty and justice for all comes before healthcare for all.
Genetic testing, also known as screening, is a rapidly advancing new scientific field that can potentially revolutionize not only the world of medicine, but many aspects of our lives. Genetic screening is the sequencing of human DNA in order to discover genetic differences, anomalies, or mutations that may prove pathological. As genetic screening becomes more advanced and easily accessible, it presents society with difficult questions that must be asked about the boundaries of science and to what degree we are allowed to tamper with the human genome. To better understand the potential impact of genetic screening on our society, we must examine the potential benefits in comparison to the possible negative impact it may cause. With this knowledge in hand, we can examine what the future holds for this field of study and the best possible direction to take.
"We used to think that our fate was in our stars, but now we know that, in large measure, our fate is in our genes, "quotes James Watson. This fate that Watson is talking about is contained in our genes, and deals with a new technique, gene therapy. Gene therapy is revolutionizing the world of medicine. Many physicians are predicting that in twenty years gene therapy may change the practice of medicine from a treatment-based to a prevention-based practice. Our future is l ocked away inside of our genes. Gene therapy is unlocking these doors. Researchers are starting to move away from developing new drugs, and towards finding an ultimate solution. That solution is to use gene therapy as a treatment for many genetic diseas es. Researchers hope that in the coming years, every genetic disease will have gene therapy as its treatment. Gene therapy could be the last therapy that the human race will ever need.
Current technology has made what once seemed impossible, mapping the human genome, a reality within the next decade. What began over forty years ago with the discovery of the basic structure of DNA has evolved into the Human Genome Project. This is a fifteen-year, three billion dollar effort to sequence the entire human genetic code. The Project, under the direction of the U.S. National Institute of Health and the department of Energy is ahead of schedule in mapping what makes up an individual's genetic imprint. Much of the current efforts in genetic engineering have been focused on genes that cause disease and to date, about eight hundred and eighty of these "disease" genes have been found. They include genes for Huntington's disease, cystic fibrosis, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, familial colon cancer, breast cancer and many more. Once the human genome is mapped, the next logical step is gene therapy, in which a missing gene is added or a defective one is removed.
For much of human history, mankind has never been able to shape and alter its genetic information. But with modern day advances in technology and scientific research, the idea is slowly becoming a reality, and a major concern for many, scientifically, practically, and morally. It is only a matter of time before augmenting genetic information begins to modify humans; doing so could bring about positive change, but more likely, terrible consequences for humanity. Although the manipulation of the human genome through introducing foreign DNA has the potential to assist in health and development of organisms, doing so unrestricted ultimately proves to be unethical and problematic once applied to humans.
Genomics is the study of the functions of genes and DNA in an organism, including location, structure, sequence, regulation and function. The genome provides a list of building materials for proteins. (Kerns/McDonald, 2001) Today scientists are striving to identify every gene in human DNA and the sequences of the chemical base pairs that make up each one. This is no easy task, but within the next few years, the world will acknowledge genomics as the biggest thing since sliced bread.
Before diving into the ethical issues posed by human gene sequencing, there are certain advantages and disadvantages one could review. The idea of gene sequencing seems beneficial on the surface; h...
In the past 30 years the foundation of medicine has been shaken by the discovery of the human genome. The genome consists of genes that are essentially the blueprints for how a person develops as the grow up. This can range from eye color to height and even to the ability to tap into more of the brain's capacity to function. The entire ...