Due to major scientific achievements it is now possible to accurately sequence and map the human genome it its entirety. The past two decades have seen rapid declines in the overall cost of that process, and it is possible today for anyone to order this significant information via a website. The data provides previously unavailable insights into inherited characteristics, and genomics companies are both groundbreaking and controversial.
The original Human Genome Project coalesced during the 1980s, and is the basis of current analysis methods. There was a scientific race to be the first to map this genome in its entirety, and that competition instigated rapid advances. Today, partial or full genome sequencing allows individuals to not only gain insight into inherited personality or physical traits, and details the proven risks of predisposition to illnesses such as cancer.
A personal analysis cannot answer every question sparked by the information contained in those genes, but does provide more genetic information than has ever been available previously. For many people, that analysis provides a window into their own personality and physical health, and creates greater understanding of the influences that inheritance exerts. While useful, this information may have unintended consequences.
The primary strengths of sequencing are medical. While most people have some idea of the physical problems their parents or grandparents may have experienced, knowing whether those traits have been inherited makes future disease development easier to predict and treat. The information can be readily compared to a greater database, giving medical researchers more insight into potential therapies.
Although a test is not a diagnosis, it does have the potential to disrupt. If a report indicates an increased likelihood of developing a particular disease, healthy people can take a more proactive approach to managing their own well-being. Knowing more about possible reactions helps doctors more accurately prescribe medications, or to screen at-risk patients more often. This personalized approach is both effective and efficient.
In addition to providing useful medical information, there are also social benefits. Support groups can be more easily created for people who mutually share the same types of experiences arising from the effects of a particular genetic makeup. Individuals who are coping with the effects of those traits have a chance to share personal solutions with others. The main concern, however, is the potential to stigmatize people unfairly.
As technology progresses, privacy issues have also arisen as a result of sequencing. An ideal solution would simply protect databases from unauthorized scrutiny, a scenario that is highly unlikely in the world today. The residue from a human touching a glass or eating utensil can provide a wide spectrum of data. It can not only reveal basic information regarding physical traits, including race, but may indicate involvement in crime.
The challenge for genetic information companies today it to provide critical personal information without generating discrimination based primarily on potential or probability. Laws have already been enacted to prevent employers from using genetics to screen new applicants. While the potential health benefits of genetic mapping are enormous and far-reaching, preventing abuses of this technology is of equal importance.
The original Human Genome Project coalesced during the 1980s, and is the basis of current analysis methods. There was a scientific race to be the first to map this genome in its entirety, and that competition instigated rapid advances. Today, partial or full genome sequencing allows individuals to not only gain insight into inherited personality or physical traits, and details the proven risks of predisposition to illnesses such as cancer.
A personal analysis cannot answer every question sparked by the information contained in those genes, but does provide more genetic information than has ever been available previously. For many people, that analysis provides a window into their own personality and physical health, and creates greater understanding of the influences that inheritance exerts. While useful, this information may have unintended consequences.
The primary strengths of sequencing are medical. While most people have some idea of the physical problems their parents or grandparents may have experienced, knowing whether those traits have been inherited makes future disease development easier to predict and treat. The information can be readily compared to a greater database, giving medical researchers more insight into potential therapies.
Although a test is not a diagnosis, it does have the potential to disrupt. If a report indicates an increased likelihood of developing a particular disease, healthy people can take a more proactive approach to managing their own well-being. Knowing more about possible reactions helps doctors more accurately prescribe medications, or to screen at-risk patients more often. This personalized approach is both effective and efficient.
In addition to providing useful medical information, there are also social benefits. Support groups can be more easily created for people who mutually share the same types of experiences arising from the effects of a particular genetic makeup. Individuals who are coping with the effects of those traits have a chance to share personal solutions with others. The main concern, however, is the potential to stigmatize people unfairly.
As technology progresses, privacy issues have also arisen as a result of sequencing. An ideal solution would simply protect databases from unauthorized scrutiny, a scenario that is highly unlikely in the world today. The residue from a human touching a glass or eating utensil can provide a wide spectrum of data. It can not only reveal basic information regarding physical traits, including race, but may indicate involvement in crime.
The challenge for genetic information companies today it to provide critical personal information without generating discrimination based primarily on potential or probability. Laws have already been enacted to prevent employers from using genetics to screen new applicants. While the potential health benefits of genetic mapping are enormous and far-reaching, preventing abuses of this technology is of equal importance.