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One of the largest single investigative projects in modern science to date, the Human Genome Project is an ambitious plan to identify and map every gene of the 23 human chromosomes. To do this, the Human Genome Project seeks to identify all of the approximately 25,000 genes in the human DNA and determine the sequence of the 3 billion chemical base pairs that make it up. Furthermore, the Human Genome Project is the first large-scale scientific undertaking to address ethical, legal and social issues that may arise from the manipulation of a person’s genetic information.
The goal of this project is to obtain knowledge about genetics and to be able to treat the 4,000 currently known genetic disorders as well as other diseases and conditions that could arise in the future. To understand a person’s genetic make-up, the project also studied non-human organisms such as the common bacteria E. coli, the fruit fly and the laboratory mouse. The mapping out of the human gene is vital to developments in medicine, surgery and health care.
After ten years and billions of dollars, genetic researchers finally announced the completion of their project. The Human Genome Project has already produced scientific breakthroughs that have provided valuable information to medical researchers. Scientists have already identified genes linked to kidney disease, high-blood pressure, dwarfism, Down syndrome, cystic fibrosis and some forms of cancer. It is now just a matter of time before the great secrets of the tiny genome could be fully revealed; leading to what could be a better quality of life and longer lifespan for us humans.
The Human Genome Project is set to uncover the mystery of the genome. A genome is the master blueprint that contains all the information needed to produce a particular individual in every detail – from eye color and behavior to how well an individual’s body metabolizes food and fights off infection. A genome is the sum total of all DNA, which is made up of four chemical blocks called bases. These bases are repeated billions of times through a genome. The key to life’s diversity lies in the very order of these chemical bases, as it determines whether an organism is human or another species. DNA sequences in all organisms are similar and comparison between human and nonhuman genomes have isolated similar genes associated with diseases, conditions and traits present in humans.
Unlocking the secrets of the genome is vital to understanding human evolution, creating new drugs, treatments and preventive measures for genetically-linked diseases and possibly constructing a way to artificially produce human protein. Rapid progress in genome science has given us a glimpse of what life could be like beyond the 21st century. Revolutionary developments stemming from the Human Genome Project could lead to a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, colon cancer, breast cancer and immunodeficiency syndromes. Disease surveillance could make diagnosis and treatment possible. Gene therapy could replace defective genes with healthy ones and disorders that plague us today could be prevented.
The pursuit of science and progress also leads to questions of ethics. Unlike a fingerprint which can be used only for identification, a DNA profile provides intimate aspects of a person such as his family history, predisposition to certain behavior and susceptibility to disease. This information could lead to a discrimination against a person based on genetics, for which there is no legal protection against.
Who should have access to a person’s genetic information? Would it be fair to allow insurance companies, employers, school, adoption agencies, the courts and the military to these data? What protections are there to guarantee the privacy of a person’s genetic profile?
More importantly, is the public prepared for this magnitude of information? A person’s past, present and future could be revealed in a drop of blood or a lock of hair. Where will this new knowledge take us?
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