...Benjamin Franklin once said, “An investment of knowledge pays the best interest.” The more knowledge people have, the more it will benefit them. In this case, genetic testing for Huntington’s Disease provides the knowledge that might save lives. Huntington’s is a disease that affects the physical, cognitive, and emotional attributes of the human body. (3) It causes progressive deterioration of the brain cells. (7) It forms in the brain, specifically in the basal ganglia. The basal ganglia controls movement, emotion, and thought organization. The disease destroys the cells that are in that part of the brain. Huntington’s Disease is simply caused by genes. (2) The mutation will show up on chromosome 4 and has repetitive nucleotide triplets that...
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...In the past thirty years,the war on cancer has evolved in many ways. One way cancer treatment has progressed is the technology of genetic mapping. Genetic mapping is researching one’s genes to identify gene markings for certain diseases. Genes are found in the DNA in each cell that makes up the human body. There are typically 30,000 different genes per cell, and they control every function and aspect of every living organism (“Genetics”). People have forty-six chromosomes in two sets of twenty-three, one set from your father and one from your mother (“Genetics”). Genes control how a person is made by making proteins. Each gene has a "code" for making proteins. This is because each cell needs to perform a certain task. Cancer begins when one...
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...sequences of DNA that determine what characteristics people inherit.Gene Testing is an analysis of a person DNA. It can provide valuable data that may be useful in regards to diagnosing, treating and preventing certain diseases. Through DNA testing scientist can determine whether you are more prone to developing specific illnesses throughout the course of your existence. Geneticists look at different DNA sequences and can tell if you have inherited certain diseases. Some different reasons for using genetics test are testing for cancer, alzheimer's, liver disease, kidney failure hormone deficiencies and mental retardation. Overall the are more than a 1000 different DNA test available. The positive aspects of gene testing is that it could save a persons life and possibly help prevent future illnesses. Some downsides of DNA Test are sometimes they can be inaccurate. The results are not always 100% right because things such as contamination or error can change the results. These type of test may also affect someone emotionally because they were unaware they had a an illness. The risks of prejudice, social stigmatization, anxiety and stress may prevail over the advantages of the test to begin with. Discrimination in the system is a known factor and has been going on for a long time. People are discriminated every day due to age, culture, creed, gender, sexual orientation and religion. The GINA (Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act) was put in place to prevent insurance companies...
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...Genetic testing is a scientific process in which an individual’s DNA can be screened for mutations or variations that may cause certain diseases or dysfunctions. It is my opinion that standard genetic testing for disease or the predisposition to disease is purely beneficial. Having clear answers as to whether or not a person may carry a higher risk for some diseases may in fact save their life, or the lives of their current or future children. However, over the years of development of the science, more and more controversial types of testing have developed. In this paper, the science of genetic testing will be introduced by going through a brief history, the different types of genetic testing available, as well as the controversies that surround them. History Genetic testing had a very positive and productive start. The first usage of Genetic Testing occurred over half a century ago, beginning with the testing of infants for PKU, or Phenylketonuria, “an inborn error of metabolism in which an amino acid buildup in the blood causes mental retardation.” (Lewis) To test infants, a drop of blood was taken from their heel while at the hospital after birth. If a child was found positive for PKU, dietary treatment was used to prevent loss of brain function. Testing was reliable and results were accurate. The disease being tested for was easily treatable, and every child that came through was tested without a problem. (Lewis) In the 1970’s, doctors began the process of testing...
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...Running Head: UNIT THREE WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS Unit Three Written Assignments Erin Schmidt Professor Vega St. Joseph’s College of Maine Prepared on November 30, 2009 1. Of all the people using the health care system today, how important are social problems on the use of the health care system? Social problems including AIDS, drug abuse, violence, and teen pregnancy are very important when considering the economy of the United States Health Care System. Unprotected sexual contact and sharing dirty needles account for the majority of persons infected with AIDS. HIV and AIDS affect human capitol due to the increased mortality of this group. Bonnel (2000) notes that younger individuals are dying of this disease, which translates to a decreased taxable population and reduction in resources for public expenditures. Medications such as antiretrovirals are very expensive. Henderson (2002) points out that drug therapy costs up to $16,000 dollars per infected individual per year. Additional economic impact can be thought of in terms of lost productivity, and lost days from work, which account for a significant impact on the labor supply. With regard to substance abuse, Henderson (2002) states “substance abuse is the leading health problem in the United States today” (p. 310). Costs associated with substance abuse include increased costs of medical care, lost productivity from...
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...always worked differently for different people. However, new advances in technology and understanding of the human body have allowed humans to leap forward and save lives. Genetic testing can improve the use of prescription drugs in many ways. Prescription drugs do not always work, and can sometimes be toxic to the users. This is due to the differences between different people and the fact that everyone has a different genetic makeup. For example, Her2/neu genes code for a protein receptor, the Her2 receptor, which deals with cell growth and differentiation. Some polymorphisms in the Her2/neu genes can change how some women’s breasts grow, leading to possible tumors. Cancer can also cause mutations, making the Her2/neu genes overactive, leading to tumors. Thus, women with breast cancer are routinely checked for Her2/neu over-activity. Physicians prescribe a drug called Herceptin to these Her2/neu positive patients. Herceptin does not work as well with patients that are Her2/neu negative, and in fact can be toxic to these patients (1). Thus, genetic testing allows us to change treatments in a way that could be life saving. However, genetic knowledge can change a person’s life, either through ability to act preventatively or by paralyzing a carrier with the weight of a decision. Gene therapy occurs when genetic faults are repaired through transfer of therapeutic genes to specific cells of an individual. There are two main varieties of gene therapy. The first involves...
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...our genes would respond we do but in fact a portion of our genes are “owned” or patented by a company. According to dictionary.com, “gene patenting is allowing unique segments of DNA, which perhaps code for a certain disease or a certain protein, to be owned by an individual or corporation.” By having the ability to run test to diagnose or check to see if a person is at risk for a disease or to be able to save people’s lives is remarkable but at the cost some else owning your genes. Although these are our own personal distinctive genes what makes it right or wrong that they can be patented. Video Review:...
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...geography, population, natural resources, and as recently as (2004) human genetics under the research name (The Human Genome Project). Much like a puzzle the shapes, patterns and order of human DNA have been plotted by scientists’ and have been transformed into a map like none other. The Human Genome Project has been referred to as “one of the great feats of exploration in history- an inward voyage of discovery rather than an outward exploration of the planet or the cosmos.” Genetic mapping will not cure genetic diseases by itself, but it is a critical tool in expanding scientists’ understanding of the role gene mutation and deletion play in causing complex diseases and disorders. From this understanding, strategies to develop cures and preventive measures evolve. Inherited genetic variation has a key but as of yet largely uncharacterized role in human disease. Genome mapping has advanced the screening of genetic diseases with more than 39,000 genetic tests currently in use in the, molecular, chromosomal and biochemical genetic fields, according to GeneTests, a database supported by the federal government. The results of genetic tests can confirm or rule out suspected genetic conditions or help determine a person’s chance of developing or passing on a genetic disorder. The medical insight genome mapping can provide will undoubtedly...
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...Designer babies Since the discovery of DNA in the late 1950's, the possibility of genetic modification of animals and plants has become a reality. The term designer baby refers to the genetic modification of the child in its early fetal life. The world of genetic modification has long moved on from the days of Dolly the Sheep. How is a designer baby created? * An embryo is created by in-vitro fertilization (IVF). * A single cell is removed from that embryo within the first 5 days of its creation. * The cell is genetically tested. * The parents decide whether to discard the embryo or implant it in the mother's womb. Human Genome Project The Human Genome Project (HGP) was the international, collaborative research program whose goal was the complete mapping and understanding of all the genes of human beings. All our genes together are known as our "genome." The Human Genome Project started in the 1980s as an organized effort to provide the information researchers need to understand the genetic basis of all disease. GINA is the first major federal law to come out of the Ethical, Legal and Social Implications portion of the Human Genome Project. This law made sure that people were treated fairly when it came to getting a job and stuff like that even if they had a disorder or disease Literature review Mark Hughes, a pioneer of the PGD process and director of Genesis Genetics Institute says, “It’s technically feasible and it can be done,” adding that “no...
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...Information Is in a Human Genome? Clinical Connection 1.1 Exome Sequencing Saves a Boy’s Life Bioethics: Choices for the Future Genetic Testing and Privacy CHAPTER OVERVIEW Chapter 1 provides a glimpse of the basic concepts of genetics and genomics, and offers examples of DNA information impacting daily life. In this new era of genomics, individuals have access to their own genetic information, and health care providers are learning how to incorporate DNA data into diagnostic and therapeutic medicine. Bioethics deals with issues of privacy, discrimination, and justice that arise from use and misuse of genetic information. DNA, genes, chromosomes, and genomes are the levels of genetic information, and they impact biology at the cell, tissue, organ, individual, family, and population levels. Genes encode proteins, and the exome is the small part of the genome that does so. Most traits arise from interactions of genes and environmental factors. Genetic information is in health care to identify individuals, in investigating the environment, and in understanding evolution. CHAPTER OUTLINE 1.1 Introducing Genes and Genomes 1. Genetics is a branch of biology concerned with inherited traits and their variation, and how these traits are passed from one generation to the next (heredity). 2. With continuing analysis of human genome sequences, human genetics has grown from a largely academic science to touch many areas of medicine, with...
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...Animal rights activists will say that we do not need animal testing but we do. A large majority of scientists believe that animal testing is still the gateway to most scientific and medical advancements. Using animals for testing is necessary and reasonable for the advancement of science and medicine. Animal testing has led to many scientific and life-saving advances. That includes the creation of the vaccines of small pox and...
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...technology because they say it had not been proven safe or effective, but it has already saved lives. This is why biomedical technology should be used in medical practices My first reason is that biomedical technology could help save many lives. This technology has the potential to cure many diseases, one example is that scientists have found that stem cells can become a wide variety of specialized cells, this could help cure Alzheimer’s. They also have the potential to help people that are paralyzed. Biomedical technology has already found ways to detect and cure many life threatening diseases. With mammograms and MRIs doctors can detect breast cancer along with other diseases much faster than they have been able to in the past. This could potentially help cure those who are diagnosed. My second reason is that biomedical technology can increase treatment options. Since mammograms and MRIs help detect diseases sooner there are many different ways to treat these diseases some of which may not be as severe. For example instead of doing radiation for cancer right away you could undergo surgery to try to remove the cancer first. My third reason is that new medical practices can be discovered by using biomedical technology. Stem cells, mammograms, MRIs, and genetic engineering are all biomedical technologies. The discovery of stem cells have made an advancement in the medical world because they can turn into muscle cells, skin cells, and many other cells. Mammograms have made it...
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...Running head: GATTACA: THE GENETIC ENGINEERING STORY Gattaca: The Genetic Engineering Story Carl D. Knapp DeVry University Online/HUMN424 Gattaca: The Genetic Engineering Story The movie, “Gattaca”, comes to us as a possible window into our “not-so-distant-future.”(Niccols, 1997) This possible window into the future shows us what life could be like if human genetic engineering is utilized to the greatest effort. The character Vincent in the movie explained that they have taken discrimination down to a science. (Niccols, 1997) Vincent knows that due to his inferiority to the world made him a part of the underclass, which isn’t classed by his social status, but rather his genes. The writer/director of this film, Andrew Niccols, shows the world this different form of discrimination that could be in our futures. As we know, there are people that are already making orders of how they want their children to look. Will our society continue on this path to where we are eventually just like the people of Gattaca? Is genetic engineering ethical? Has watching this movie changed my opinion of gentic engineering? In the beginning of the movie, we learn that Vincent was conceived through natural means. This means that he wasn’t genetically engineered to be perfect. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, genetic engineering is “the artificial manipulation, modification, and recombination of DNA or other nucleic acid molecules in order to modify an organism or population...
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...private sector, and Address the ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI) that may arise from the project.” (Popular Issues Home, 2012) So far in the project: “more than 60 disease-linked genes have been identified and are believed to be advantageous to gene-based therapy development”; going forward scientist hope to identify all of the estimated 80,000 genes in human DNA. (Wattanapitayakul & Schommer, 1999) The total cost of this project was $3 billion dollars this includes the study of” human diseases, experimental organisms (such as bacteria, yeast, worms, flies, and mice); development of new technologies for biological and medical research; computational methods to analyze genomes; and ethical, legal, and social issues related to genetics. Human genome sequencing represents only a small fraction of the overall 13-year budget.” (ELSI, 2011) Sources of Construction Project Risk The HGP project brought with it many risks and challenges that we still see today, which I will be discussing in the risks below. The risks that were involved when the...
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...Name: Jeanette Khoury Title: Stem Cells Save Lives 1. Excite a. Good afternoon everyone b. I am honored to have been given the opportunity to speak with you all today. c. What if you or someone you know was told they would not be able to walk within the next 10 years but there is a cure out there that you are unable to have? 2. Launch d. I am here today to speak with you about the potential uses of stem cells, the funding for stem cell research and the ethical debates of stem cell research. e. If you knew that there might be a potential cure for a disease, would you want the government to follow the lead and explore the possibilities? The answer for me is yes. 3. Relate f. Four years ago, my aunt was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and told that she may not be able to walk in 10 years. g. While there currently is not a cure for MS, the use of stem cells will have a huge impact on treatments and possibly a future cure for this awful disease. 4. Persuade h. Stem cell research can have a significant impact in many areas of medicine. i. There are a variety of diseases and injuries in which a patient’s cells or tissues are destroyed and require organ or tissue transplants. 1. Stem cells are able to potentially create brand new tissue 2. Stem cells may be able to cure diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, cancer, type 1 Diabetes, spinal cord injuries, stroke...
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