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A Massive Project For The Benefit Of Mankind: A Look At The Human Geno

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,...