HUMAN GENOME PRODJECT

WHAT IS A GENOME

• A genome is a full set chromosomes or genetic information in a cell or organism
• This means 46 in humans

WHAT DID IT DESCOVER

• There are around 3.2 million bases in the human body
• A,T,G,C
• There are two lines of genetic coding and if the top line is AGTCAA then the bottom one must be TCAGTT
• The largest known has 2.4 million bases

WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE.

• 350 million people world wide suffer from rare diseases.
• Many of them we had no way of curing, partly because we didn't know what they were caused by.
• The HGP now knows what every gene should be, so can find the problem, and therefore start to find the cure.

100000 GENOME PROJECT

• 100000 genomes from 70000 people with rare diseases will be sequenced.
• The candidates will include patients with rare diseases, cancer and all their families.
• They will then combine the genetic sequence data with medical records.
• Thus creating a ground breaking resource.

WHI HAS IT HELPED ALREADY

• People who suffer from metastatic melanoma (not sure if this is cancer) who carry a mutation in BRAF kinase can take vemurafenib and are often totally cured.
• Although this only works for those with this mutation, this was only discovered due to the HGP

ETHNIC CONCERNS

• Govern that we now now all the possible genomes, many people fear that we shall create designer babies.
• They feel it is better for nature to take its course and all the mutations that could lead to a poor quality of life.
• That we shouldn't create a super race that shall raise from the burning ashes of society, ri from all disease and mutation, the perfect beings.