The Genome
It has been a while since they've claimed to have mapped out the human genome, but really haven't heard anything new about it for a long time.
Has anyone come across anything interesting about the genome?
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Permalink Reply by Adam J. Benton on -
Well research is still in its infancy, despite it being almost 10 years since they finished sequencing the genome. However, that's rather understandable given that scientists have to trawl through the 3 billion base pairs of the chromosomes.
That said, they've already identified genes associated with various diseases such as alzheimers and some cancers, allowing patients to be screened to see if they are at risk of getting them.Alas, a treatment of those diseases based off this information has still not been developed yet, but is expected to be. To be fair, given the length of time it takes to develop drugs it would be rather surprising if something had been created in this time frame.
Also, the technology of genome sequencing has been vastly improved by the human genome project, making it possible to analyse the genome of other animals much faster and better than before. This has allowed everything from improved phylogenetic trees and DNA sequencing for forensics to the creation of modified bacteria that could "clean" the environment by consuming oil from spills etc. (although the latter is still in the preliminary stages).
For more detailed information on what the benefits of the project have been thus far, and what they're expected to be in the near future, the official website of the Human Genome Project has a very detailed section under the heading "benefits."
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Permalink Reply by Richard K on -
Have they learned at all on how to turn off/on certain genes?
It seems that for many things we are running along fine until a certain gene turns on at a certain age, then we suddenly become at risk. It seems such a waste that we are still playing with drugs in the genome project. Nano tech and gene therapy should move us in a totally different direction, becuz drugs are so ineffective in correcting the root causes.
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Permalink Reply by Adam J. Benton on
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Well there was a recent gene survey of centenarians (enabled, of course, by the HGP) which noted they didn't have fewer "risk" genes but did have more genes that mitigated their effects. As such, some scientists are working at created drugs which mimic the effect of those "beneficial" genes.
That's only one example, but it does go to show there is still promise in drug related genetics. There is definitely potential in other fields as well, of course.
As for turning on/off genes, there are many mechanisms that are responsible for this. However, some of these mechanisms have been identified and so some genes can be controlled. Not all, but progress is being made in that area as well.
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Permalink Reply by Richard K on
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Sounds interesting. I'll have to look around to find some layman articles about the subject. :)
Adam J. Benton said:Well there was a recent gene survey of centenarians (enabled, of course, by the HGP) which noted they didn't have fewer "risk" genes but did have more genes that mitigated their effects. As such, some scientists are working at created drugs which mimic the effect of those "beneficial" genes.
That's only one example, but it does go to show there is still promise in drug related genetics. There is definitely potential in other fields as well, of course.
As for turning on/off genes, there are many mechanisms that are responsible for this. However, some of these mechanisms have been identified and so some genes can be controlled. Not all, but progress is being made in that area as well.
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Permalink Reply by Adam J. Benton on
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Like I said, the HGP website has a fairly easy to understand section on what benefits have arisen and are likely to arise from the project. But it does seem a bit outdated, so maybe only use it as a starting point if you seek to further your knowledge.
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Permalink Reply by Richard K on
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Thanks, I'll google it for a url...
Adam J. Benton said:Like I said, the HGP website has a fairly easy to understand section on what benefits have arisen and are likely to arise from the project. But it does seem a bit outdated, so maybe only use it as a starting point if you seek to further your knowledge.
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