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3/26/2012 Otelnise Pierre

The Human Genome Project also known as the HGP is the national coordinated effort to characterize all human genetic material by determining the complete sequence of DNA in the human genome.1 In 1990, the U.S. Human Genome Project was a 13-year effort coordinated by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health, initially it was supposed to last 15 years but the advance in technology enhanced its completion date to 2003. The Human Genome Project had many goals such as: identifying all the approximately 20,000-25,000 genes in human DNA, determining the sequences of the 3 billion chemical base pairs that make up human DNA, storing this information in databases, improving tools for data analysis, transferring related technologies to the private sector, and addressing the ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI) that may arise from the project.2 Overall, the Human Genome Project's ultimate goal is to discover and map all of the approximately 35,000 human genes and make them accessible for further biological study. To enable the future interpretation of human gene function, the Human Genome Project is also conducting parallel studies on the genetic makeup of other organisms. In order to accomplish those goals researchers involved in the Human Genome Project, also studied the genetic makeup of several nonhuman organisms such as the common human gut bacterium Escherichia coli, the fruit fly, and the laboratory mouse. Even though the Human Genome is a phenomenal undertaking, unfortunately, it reminds us that some of the worst events in human history have occurred when technological expertise was united with spiritual emptiness. There is not all good in the Human Genome Project there is also some negative outcomes of the sequencing. Some of the negatives are that everyone sees the potential for fixing genetic defects, but what qualifies as a defect? Some clues tell parents that
1

"Human Genome Project." Popular Issues - AllAboutPopularIssues.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2012. <http://www.allaboutpopularissues.org/human-genome-project.htm>. 2 "About the Human Genome Project." Oak Ridge National Laboratory. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2012. <http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources

their kids are going to be short, should that be fixable? There is so much about creating a child that I feel should remain "hands off" even though that may make me a hypocrite since I would support the fixing of a genetic disease. Basically the negatives of the human genome project are simply that it puts us on a slippery slope with vague, ethical boundaries that eventually will get crossed. But there are some positives about the outcomes of sequencing and they are we get to identify problem genes and that gives us the ability to identify genetic diseases and predispositions before they really manifest themselves. This could one day even give us the ability to fix these issues in the womb. It would be marvelous if parents never had to hear that their kid has cystic fibrosis ever again. With every new gene identified we are one step closer to putting the picture together. WORKS CITED 1. Human Genome Project." Popular Issues - AllAboutPopularIssues.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2012. <http://www.allaboutpopularissues.org/human-genome-project.htm>. 2. About the Human Genome Project." Oak Ridge National Laboratory. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2012. <http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources