Create a new account

It's simple, and free.

Human Genome & Genetic Disease

On June 26, 2000, scientists working for the Human Genome Project announced the completion of the mapping of the human genome. The Human Genome Project is a publicly funded cooperative effort between the U.S. (which is funding two-thirds of the project) and Britain’s Wellcome, a charity organization, which is funding one-third of the project. The mapping of the more than 3.5 billion letters in the human genome offers scientists and biologists unlimited potential when it comes to discoveries about the nature of human life. In future, scientists may be able to use genetic information to reverse or cure genetic diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s and maybe all human disease “Science is about to provide the world with one of the most significant intellectual achievements of all time—the complete sequencing of the human genome—which will provide a detailed map of all of the genes…the blueprint for human life. The implications are enormous” (Cooke 4).

Yet, despite the potentially unlimited health benefits the mapping of the human genome promises, many are opposed to tampering with what they view as life itself. Critics of the Human Genome Project are worried about the unethical use of such information, including parents who want to tailor-make their children or private companies holding patents on certain genes required for advances in medicine. Aside from the Human Genome Project, private sector companies like Celera, run by a scientists who used to work for the Human Genome Project, have also successfully mapped the human genome. As such, many worry that the patents these biotech companies win on their decoded gene sequences will be cost-prohibitive and largely inaccessible to researchers and scientists who hope to advance human medicine.

Yet despite these kinds of worries from critics of scientists who hope to manipulate the human genome, the potential medical benefits from having a map ...

Page 1 of 9 Next >

More on Human Genome & Genetic Disease...

Loading...
APA     MLA     Chicago
Human Genome & Genetic Disease. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 04:33, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1685674.html