A Massive Project For The Benefit Of Mankind: A Look At The Human Genome Project Essay, Research Paper

A Massive Project for the Benefit of Mankind: A Look at the Human Genome Project

Scientists are taking medical technology to new heights as they race to

map all of the genes, nearly 100,000, in the 23 chromosomes of the human body.

Along the way, they hope to understand the basis of, and maybe even develop

methods of treating certain genetic diseases, such as Alzheimer?s and Muscular

Dystrophy. They plan to do this by identifying the DNA sequence of an abnormal

gene in which a disease originates and comparing it with the data of a normal or

healthy gene. The entire research project is entitled “The Human Genome

Project.”

“The Human Genome Project” is a large scale project being conducted by

more than 200 laboratories, with even more researchers and labs having joined in.

Most of the labs and researchers are located in France and the United States.

The project started in 1990 and was slated to take 15 years and cost $3 billion

in U.S. money for the entire project coming to roughly $200 million per year.

Federal funding for the project is nearly 60% of the annual need. This has

created some funding problems for the project. There also have been

technological advances and discoveries that have helped to speed up the project.

This automation may help to reduce the cost and help the project to meet its

objectives ahead of schedule. The project was estimated to have detailed maps

of all of the chromosomes and know the location of most of the human Genes by

1996. Researchers have successfully located the gene and DNA sequence for

Huntington?s Disease on Chromosome 4 and have created a genetic test to

determine if a person carries this gene. “The child of a person with

Huntington’s has a 50% chance of inheriting the gene, which inevitably leads to

the disease.” Once an individual acquires the gene, it is only a matter of

time before they acquire the disease. Because the medical costs of treating

such persons in terminal illnesses are extremely high, insurance companies who

want to stay in business see this genetic test, and others like it, as an

opportunity to screen prospective clients for the probability of such diseases.

Some people feel that this information gives insurance companies unfair

advantage over those covered by medical insurance and point out that release of

genetic information to insurance companies puts a severe disadvantage on the

person who is screened, as well as violates the patients right to privacy. If

this genetic information is not safegua rded as confidential for the patient?s

and doctor?s knowledge alone, then the patient can be labeled as undesirable and

the patient may not be able to receive insurance coverage at any price. This

also brings up other ethical questions. “Does genetic testing constitute an

invasion of privacy, and would it stigmatize those found to have serious inborn

deficiencies? Would prenatal testing lead to more abortions? Should anyone be

tested before the age of consent?” Obviously, many genetic advancements are to

come of this research. One biotechnology that will benefit from genetic testing

is genetic engineering. It too, may have many social implications depending on

what is created from such experimentation. Gene Therapy is one “spin-off” that

has greatly benefited Gene-mapping. It utilizes genetic engineering to treat

genetic disorders by “introducing genes into existing cells to prevent or cure

diseases” . Most of the methods are still in the experimental stages and have

yet to be approved by the FDA. One example would be in a proposed treatment for

a brain tumor. Scientists would take a herpes gene and splice it in to a

nonvirulent virus. Viruses and liposomes have an uncanny ability to navigate

through cell membranes. The virus is then placed into a laboratory animal to

reproduce itself, and after reproduction, is injected into the human?s brain

tumor. The virus is supposed to invade the tumor cells. Thus, the herpes

enzyme will render the tumor vulnerable to drugs used to cure herpes, killing

the tumor, the virus, and the animals’ cells used to manufacture the virus. With

this and other ideas springing out from the “medicine cabinet”, many

researchers are optimistic about the results of their research. There is also a

direct correlation of the sequencing of genes and production of effective drugs

on diseases which may have different strands of defective genes, such as

Alzheimer?s. Locating these genes would be crucial to synthesizing a product to

affect that specific location in the gene. The director of the gene-therapy

program at the University of Southern California, Dr. W. French Anderson states,

“Twenty years from now, gene therapy will have revolutionized medicine.

Virtually every disease will have it as one of its treatments.” Such an impact

on medicine would take much longer to occur with “hit and miss” tactics, rather

than methodically mapping out the blueprint for the body. So whether we, as

society, want to go forward in this research slowly, or with blazing speed,

scientists will go forward and do what they set out to do. The fact that this

research will benefit humanity is resounding, we just need to remember to handle

our findings in such a manner that benefits all of society, not just those on

top of the economical food chain. Also, persons should be able to decide for

themselves if they can handle knowing what their genetic flaws are. Sometimes

knowing you will eventually be afflicted by a disease can be as emotionally

devastating as actually having the disease. Some states have already enacted

laws guarding the rights of individuals genetically tested . The problem is

that most only cover certain procedures and not all of the testing. Whatever

way we govern such testing, we have to realize, will be inefficient by most

standards, as government always is, in complicated situations. I feel that if

genetic information should be public knowledge, then every country using this

genetic concept should provide “blanket insurance” coverage for everyone at the

same rate. This would be the only fair action that would have the common person?

s interest in mind, although it is a socialist concept, people would not be

discriminated against and it would put everyone on a level playing field. Since

I don?t see a comprehensive health care plan in our horizon, we should consider

making personal genetic information excluded from insurance companies, the

government, etc., except for the actual treatment of the patient, which was the

original reason that these tests were created. The reason that I feel genetic

information should be totally excluded from insurance companies is this: Once

genetic testing becomes widely available, it would be easy for an insurance

company to require people to submit to a genetic test before they could be

covered. If the person applying is found to be unfit, it could go on his or her

insurance “medical report”, such as a “credit report”, which would blacklist

that person from ever getting coverage. Obviously there is a need for

governmental laws to prevent this from happening. No one can control what genes

they will get, and just because you have “bad” genes doesn?t mean you are a

“bad” person, thus no one should be discriminated against due to these

“weaknesses”. I personally feel that the Human Genome Project is a great

undertaking intended for the benefit of mankind. There are many advances that

have been made in treatments as well as the creation of various machines that

automate the process of gene mapping. Machines that may be used to aut omate

the study of other organisms. I just don?t trust the motives behind the

insurance companies who could unduly benefit from such testing. I feel that the

individual?s right to privacy should remain paramount, and that there should be

laws set in motion to prohibit a person from being discriminated against because

of genetic predisposition.

Bibliography

Bloch, Hanna; Dan Cray and Christine Sadlowski: “Keys to the Kingdom” and “Do

You Want to Know If the News Is Bad,” Time Special Issue (vol. 148 No. 14, Fall

1996) pp. 24-29. The Concise Columbia Encyclopedia is licensed from Columbia

University Press. Copyright ? 1995 by Columbia University Press. All rights

reserved. Duby, Jean-Jacques: “Genetic Discrimination,” Science (vol. 270, Nov.

24, 1996) pg. 1282-3. Holmes, Bob: “Blueprint for Brewer?s Yeast,” New

Scientist (vol. 150, Apr. 27, 1996) pg. 11. Hudson, Kathy L.: “Genetic

Discrimination and Health Insurance: an Urgent Need for Reform,” Science (v.

270 Oct. 20, 1995) p 391-3. Hutton, Richard: “Bio-Revolution: DNA and the

Ethics of Manmade Life,” New York: New American Library. Lewis, John:

“Automation System Quickens Gene Mapping,” Design News (vol. 51, July 8, 1996)

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