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 ...
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...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
The more we know about genetics and the building blocks of life the closer we get to being capable of cloning a human. The study of chromosomes and DNA strains has been going on for years. In 1990, the Unites States Government founded the Human Genome Project (HGP). This program was to research and study the estimated 80,000 human genes and determine the sequences of 3 billion DNA molecules. Knowing and being able to examine each sequence could change how humans respond to diseases, viruses, and toxins common to everyday life. With the technology of today the HGP expects to have a blueprint of all human DNA sequences by the spring of 2000. This accomplishment, even though not cloning, presents other new issues for individuals and society. For this reason the Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) was brought in to identify and address these issues. They operate to secure the individuals rights to those who contribute DNA samples for studies. The ELSI, being the biggest bioethics program, has to decide on important factors when an individual’s personal DNA is calculated. Such factors would include; who would have access to the information, who controls and protects the information and when to use it? Along with these concerns, the ESLI tries to prepare for the estimated impacts that genetic advances could be responsible for in the near future. The availability of such information is becoming to broad and one needs to be concerned where society is going with it.
Today, scientists know the specific locations of 1,400 genes on the human genome that, when defective, cause some form of genetic disease (Lucassen 139). In addition to this, genetic diseases account for thirty percent of all children admitted to hospitals (Lucassen 139). Unfortunately, at this point in time, there are no miracle cu...
In the past, the discovery of human disease genes has historically been an arduous undertaking. Extensive and exhaustive studies of genetic inheritance and pedigrees in generations of families led to the discovery of the color blindness gene on the Y chromosome in the early 1990's. As more biological tools became available, the pace of gene discovery increased. However, much of the biological laboratory practices were still rooted in intensively manual procedures. With the introduction of computing power in the mid-1980's, disproportionate amount of resources were being applied to hundreds of individual gene discovery efforts, such as Huntington's Disease and muscular dystrophy. It was with this realization that a large-scale effort at mapping the human genome was undertaken and in 1990, the Human Genome Project was deemed possible and launched officially by the National Institute of Health (Pollack 1,2).
Genomics and the Human Genome Project are having huge positive effects on the economy of many places like China, Germany, France, Spain and many more. The Human Genome Project has brought in over $800 million dollars since 1990 and given about 4 million jobs since 2003 which has enabled m...
The genetic technology revolution has proved to be both a blessing and a blight. The Human Genome Project is aimed at mapping and sequencing the entire human genome. DNA chips are loaded with information about human genes. The chip reveals specific information about the individuals’ health and genetic makeup (Richmond & Germov 2009).The technology has been described as a milestone by many in that it facilitates research, screening, and treatment of genetic conditions. However, there have been fears that the technology permits a reduction in privacy when the information is disclosed. Many argue that genetic information can also be used unfairly to discriminate against or stigmatize individuals (Willis 2009).
A Double Edged Sword, Canada and the World Backgrounder v66 (Oct 2000) Human Genome Project (2000), Congressional Quarterly
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
You may think that you have full control over your body, the way you may look, how you dress, and even how you do your own makeup. You have control over your hair color, how much knowledge you have, and even how strong you can be, but could you imagine having control over how tall you would like to be, the color of your eyes, and potentially the color of your very skin? Can you imagine altering EVERY aspect of yourself, including the omission of disease? These are some of the questions that the USDE hoped to find solutions to through The Genome Project.
In today’s world, people are learning a great deal in the rapidly growing and developing fields of science and technology. Almost each day, an individual can see or hear about new discoveries and advances in these fields of study. One science that is rapidly progressing is genetic testing; a valuable science that promotes prevention efforts for genetically susceptible people and provides new strategies for disease management. Unnaturally, and morally wrong, genetic testing is a controversial science that manipulates human ethics. Although genetic testing has enormous advantages, the uncertainties of genetic testing will depreciate our quality of life, and thereby result in psychological burden, discrimination, and abortion.
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.
Marshall, Elizabeth L. The Human Genome Project: Cracking the Code within Us. New York: F. Watts, 1996. Print.
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.
The genome project would have been impossible without the work of Frederick Sanger, who developed the dideoxynucleotide method of sequencing, making the sequencing of DNA possible in 1976. In the early 1990’s, scientists undertook one of the largest projects ever when they agreed to map and interpret the functions of every gene in the human body. (“Genomics”, 1998) When the rough draft was completed, Tony Blair quoted, “ . . . implication far surpassed even the discovery of antibiotics, the first great technological triumph of the 21st century.” (Bird, 2000) The Genome Project calculates the discovered genes in EST’s, or gene fragments. Researchers have narrowed these fragments down to a few hundred genes that cause human diseases. ...
Human gene sequencing began in 1990 with the launch of the Human Genome Project. This project was started by the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Energy, and led by the National Human Genome Research Institute. Its primary task was to sequence all of the base pairs of the human genome. “A genome is an organism’s complete set of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), a chemical compound that contains the genetic instructions needed to develop and direct the activities of every organism” (National Human Genome Research Institute, 2010). The goal was to have a complete picture of the human genome in order to more fully discover the role genes play in the development of diseases, and to ultimately lead the way to prevention, earlier detection and diagnosis, and more advanced medical treatments.
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 ...