Here’s Your Genome
What does all this mean to you? Imagine a time in your future when you can visit a human genome laboratory and a week later, get back a DVD with your personal genome spelled out. It comes with an editorial describing your life story, as told by your genes. It tells you what illnesses for which you may be at risk and which recessive genes you may have that could be passed along to your children. Armed with information about your risk, you could take steps to protect yourself. These might include lifestyle changes that reduce the likelihood of your exposure to “triggers” in the environment that might set the disease process in motion, or taking medications genetically formulated to alter the function of the gene or genes that put you at risk.
Sound like a brave new world? With the knowledge of our genome, the potential for changing medicine for the better, and the world we live in, is tremendous. Moreover, a significant part of genetics research is being devoted to understanding the ethical, legal, and social implications of the sequencing effort and to finding ways to safeguard against abuses and ensure the privacy of individuals in the Genomics Era. While the sequence of the human genome is now a matter of public information, the task before genomics scientists has merely begun. Now, the challenge is to create the “dictionary” that explains each word in the Book of Life: what it means, what roles it plays in development and biological function, and what goes wrong when disease or illness strikes. This phase will be the most difficult by far. When complete, everything we now know—about science, medicine, and life overall—will forever change
الإثنين يناير 12, 2015 2:09 am من طرف نبراس جميل
موضوع: human genome 
