The Human Genome Project and Gene Therapy
By Rita Debbaneh
In the DNA of the human body, there are three billion genetic base pairings which make up the genome, or genetic makeup of humans. In 1990, the NIH, or National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Energy joined with several other international companies and departments in order to link and sequence all the base pairings of the DNA, aptly naming this endeavor the Human Genome Project. In 2003, the sequencing of all the base pairings was successfully completed.
The main purpose of the Human Genome Project is to connect genes to diseases, in order to gain a better understanding of diseases and find more ways to diagnose, cure, and stop them. The HGP updated its progress on the Internet, attracting international interests and curious minds. Because of the HGP, a revolution in biotechnology has started, placing the United States in an important position in this field, and more than 1,800 disease- causing genes have been uncovered.
Thanks to 13 years of hard work and dedication, the Human Genome Project has discovered more than 2,000 trials to test the conditions of the human gene, allowing patients to gain an understanding of their sickness and the doctor to find an efficient way to diagnose and treat it. Additionally, with all the base pairings sequenced, it'll take a shorter amount of time to trace diseases to genetic or hereditary factors, preventing any harmful progression from the sickness. Also, the large sums of money needed to sequence genomes for other illnesses can be filtered into different medical projects, because all the DNA pairings of the human body are already sequenced. Lastly, doctors will be able to have a better scope of what kinds of medicines should treat the patient, based on their genes.
In the future, the Cancer Genome Atlas, another genetic endeavor, will strive to discover the genetic problems in the more major and problematic cancer diseases, such as leukemia. Also, scientists are attempting to create more efficient drugs to cure diseases, based on genes. If it hadn't been for the ground-breaking data and DNA sequences from the Human Genome Project, none of these future plans would be as easily possible.
Links
Videos
Additional Reading
Genes- The hereditary traits and characteristics carried by nucleotides in the DNA strands.
Human Genome Project- An endeavor started by the NIH and U.S. Department of Energy to sequence all 3 billion of the DNA base pairings in the human body. The main goal was to gain a better understanding of genetic factors in diseases. The project was started in 1990 and was completed in 2003, two years ahead of schedule and without surpassing the budget.
Pharmacogenomics- The study of how genes respond to medicine and drugs.
Diagnosis- The identification of a disease and the process of finding its traits and malignancy.
No comments:
Post a Comment