The Human Genome Project Is Important To Society

Over the last 10 years scientists have been involved in the progression and completion of the Human Genome Project. "Scientists working on this project have developed detailed maps that identify the

The genome project to me can be a positive and negative thing. The fact that we are now able to duplicate genes, could we someday be able to have identical clones of our selves. By having this accessible to everyone can also eliminate cancer and can help cure just about everyone that has it. They already cured at

The HGP was a 13-year long project started in 1990 with the objective of determining the entire human euchromatic genome sequence. It was a public funded project and the goal was to complete the project within 15 years. Since its inception, the project had been met with scepticism from scientists and commoners alike. One significant doubt was whether the astounding expenditure of the project would outweigh the potential benefits from it. However, the incredible success of the HGP became apparent very soon after completion. Not only did it mark the beginning of a new era in medicine, it also made significant development in the various techniques that can be used for DNA sequencing. This publicly funded, $3 billion project began formally in 1990, under the co-ordinated effort of the United States Department of Energy (DOE) and National Institutes of Health (NIH). Although destined to be completed in 15 years, rapid technological development accelerated the completion date to 2003.

In recent discussions of medical advancements, a controversial issue has been genome mapping poses risks to its patients. On the one hand, some argue that it is going to be time consuming and costly. On the other hand, however, others argue that this can be a breakthrough in medicine. In sum, then, the issue is what America’s next step towards medical advancement is going to be. While some believe genome mapping poses many unseen risks, genetic testing can help identify unsurfaced illnesses.

Although the treatment is costly and only available in clinical trials, gene therapy has treated some of the most known diseases, like Parkinson’s disease. People who are for gene therapy believe that it will change our world by getting rid of sickness. They think of a world without cancer and Parkinson’s disease. However, the people against gene therapy see a world with technology overtaking civilization. In their eyes, they think that gene therapy is wrong because of the side effects and the concept behind it. In addition, when thinking about gene therapy, the opposers conjecture that changing the genetic makeup of someone affected with genetic illness is wrong. I, on the other hand, believe that changing the genetic makeup of someone that is ill and suffering is exceptional because it is to their advantage. All in all, gene therapy is a heavily debated topic, but I believe that gene therapy can change our world in a positive

The Goal of the Human Genome Project is to obtain genetic mapping information and to determine the complete sequence of all human DNA by the year of 2005. The project started in 1990 and 180 million dollars are being spent on it annually. This adds up to a total of over 2 billion dollars for the 15 year budget. Of this 2 billion dollars budgeted, 5% is spent annually on the ethical, legal and social issues. This report focused on some of these issues.

The Human Genome Project, also known as HGP has helped our society crack the code in the small differences between human DNA that make up our health and can already pinpoint future illnesses. HPG was an international joint research preparation with the goal of mapping and trying to understand all the human genes sequences through generations. Researchers have been able to decode our genomes and understand them in three different ways. First off they have been able to see that our genome’s DNA has a certain order, and that order helps make up who we are; Secondly they are able to map where certain genes are and where they are located on the chromosomes. And third, being able to produce “linkage maps” that can help track inherited traits

Imagine the possibility of eliminating serious genetic diseases from the world. Imagine the idea of treating, preventing or even curing diseases that are yet to be cured. Imagine the feeling of being given improved health and a prolonged lifespan. This can all be accomplished with the aide of genetic engineering. Human genetic engineering refers to the process of directly manipulating human DNA to produce wanted results. DNA is a simple but very complex chemical that has the power to change the world and has begun to do so already. Many opponents to gene therapy fail to realize that genetic engineering has great potential to become very important in the biomedical industry. Though controversy exists regarding the ethics of human genetic engineering, it can produce numerous benefits, which outweigh its disadvantages and side effects; therefore, scientists should be able to manipulate the human genome for the purpose of helping people with serious medical conditions.

Gene therapy is defined as the medical replacement of defective genes in living human cells; its aim is to replace the activity of a defective gene by activating a dormant gene which has a similar function (Wheale & McNally, 212). Under gene therapy comes the politically controversial Human Genome Project, a fifteen-year, $3 billion federally-funded biology program. The goal of the project is to isolate the defective gene on the chromosomes which comprise the human genome (Fletcher, 2). In this manner, the Human Genome Project may be able to rid the cancer-ridden genes from human DNA, thereby curing cancer permanently. The project has been the focus of much scientific and political controversy over the past few years for its possible ramifications are extensive to all of human existence.

This is one of the major factors that lead to the absence in the gaining of therapeutic science. Although the lack in progress cannot be the only factor blasted for; some scientific trials have confirmed both anxious and fearful, advancing tighter on gene therapy restrictions. According to Hogarth, this hotly debatable topic of whether it is dangerous or not “playing God” has caused many religious, governmental, scientific and public figures to signify their own concerns in fierce debates (Hogarth para 9). Since the beginning of gene therapy, there has always been a constant battle over the guidance of its future of whether gene therapy will transform into a therapeutic science or lead to unpleasant consequences as the eugenics did in the 20th century. The ethics of gene therapy have been established and based on, not only beliefs, but also the disconnection and advantages achieved in the trials, which has lead to the breakthrough of the future of gene therapy. The downfall and advancement of gene therapy are the hereditary products of research that have had a major influential impact on its ethical features. When gene therapy was a novice, it gained an immense amount of popularity when scientific research evolved towards identifying genes that induce certain diseases (Hunt, 2006).

Today’s society has an ever growing thirst for knowledge as we have for many hundreds of years now. Scientists work around the clock studying the affects of nearly everything they can think of to conduct experiments on. This quest for knowledge is the supposed start to a better life for man kind and ultimately a world without disease or hunger. The human genome project is one that has been going on for about 20 years. This project set out to map, down to the last detail, every part of the human DNA structure (“Human”). The project has recently been completed and the scientists are now starting another project with their newly found information, to cure mankind of its ailments.

There are many ways to go about the process, and while there and pros and cons to both methods, gerund therapy stands as the most controversial. Supporters argue that the practice may eventually relieve human pain and suffering as it could eliminate all kinds of diseases. Others argue that gene therapy is just a new way of humans playing god which could damage the gene pool and cause even more disorders. Still others say that even if gene therapy does become largely used, there should be certain sanctions in place to determine what gene therapy should be used for. Regardless of one’s feelings on gene therapy, genetic engineering cannot be a solution for all of the world’s problems, reminding society that people are more than their genetic

Matt Ridley’s, Genome is a novel consisting of 23 chapters, each corresponding to the human’s 23 chromosomes. Ridley unravels the human genome by discussing many biological concepts, controversial arguments and groundbreaking discoveries throughout history within the scientific community. Throughout this novel, Ridley makes sure to describe the history of the human genome and then go on to introduce discoveries, discussions and findings concerning the human species that led us to the knowledge we had at his present time of publication in 2001. These discussions range from the beginning of life, Luca and RNA World Hypothesis discussed in chapter one, to natural selection and immortality in chapter 14, to the concept of free will and the argument of nature versus nurture in his final chapter. These are all very important topics within the book because they help to establish bases for future scientific discoveries.

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.

The information that scientists have gathered can be viewed as a set of inheritable instructions for the function of a person's development. People still use the tools scientists made during the Human Genome Project to extend their efforts for characterizing all of the genomes of many different organisms. Its used a lot in biological research for mice, fruit flies and flatworms. Not only did they increase the materials scientists can use, they also provided new advanced methods for understanding and organizing information that came from the Human Genome Project for scientists and other people. The DNA the scientist used for the project came from volunteers whose identity was kept a secret. They provided the scientist with samples of DNA for sequencing. This gave them more than enough DNA to sort through and gather information