Human Genome Project
March 8, 2011 by aorrico
The human genome project was a project that started in October 1990 and was not finished until 13 years later in 2003. But researchers continued to conduct tests on each pair of chromosomes up until 2008. The initial goals of the project were to identify all the genes in the human DNA, and also determine the order of all 3 billion chemical pairs that create human DNA. Several other organisms were also researched during this projects to help meet these goals. A few of these organisms were E.coli, a mouse and a fruit fly.
From this project and new field has risen called pharmacogenomics. Pharmacogenomics is the study of how an individuals body responds to drugs by examining their genes. By doing this research, pharmacogenomics have the goal of one day being able to create drugs specifically made for each individual to have the maximum results.
Although these advancements seem to be a medical miracle, there are some ethical issue that stem from this project. One major issue will be the availability of a persons DNA and what it says. Will it be available to employers, insurance companies, or even the public? This can lead to heavy discrimination is a person’s health is out in the public. Also, should genetic testing be done for diseases that cannot be cured? Is it ethical for parents to have the test performed on their children? Genetic testing can also apply to food as well and are these genetically enhanced foods safe to consume. When a couple is trying to have a baby, genetic testing can be performed to check if the child will be born with any birth defects. This can lead to more terminations of pregnancies.
Once these goals were reached, the information gathered was to be used for advancements in technology and medicine. Once this project was finished the ability of the results were endless. Now gene testing was possible. People were able to be checked for various diseases like Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, and various cancers. Pre-embryo screening now also offered to see if parents will give birth to a child with any genetic disorders or defects. From the advancements in gene testing a gateway to gene therapy was now opened. If a person has a specific disorder, it could be traced back to the single gene that was abnormal. At this point, the gene could then be replaced so the patient can now lead a normal life.
