Genetic mapping is a project that has been undertaken by the American
government in conjunction with private labs. How can a project have
a future if it has a logical ending point? While the project itself
will be complete, the information gleaned and the technology developed
will be in use long after the project is complete.
Medicine
Many scientists see the first mainstream applications of genetic mapping
to be in the field of medicine, specifically, predicting disease
susceptibilities and drug allergies. Each patient's genetic code is
different, each with different strengths and weaknesses. If a
genetic map reveals to a doctor that a a specific disease is likely, the
doctor and patient can attempt to prevent the disease -- susceptibility to
heart disease can be countered by a healthy diet, for instance.
A young man was recovering from surgery for an ear infection. He was
taking antibiotics, but he began to feel very bad, and the doctors feared
that another surgery would be necessary. However, his friend
recognized his symptoms and reported that one of her relatives had the
same symptoms, which were eventually traced to a rare allergy to the
antibiotic that she was taking. The young man was taking the same
antibiotic. When the drug was replaced, he began to feel better and
eventually recover. He later learned that he might have died from
continued use of the antibiotic. If genetic testing were available,
it could have prevented his problems. This sort of genetic test may
be available in the relatively near future.
Identification
The Human Genome project is not only developing a map of the genome, but
also new technology to speed sequencing and analysis. If sequencing
technology continues to develop at its current rate, it may be possible in
the future to perform a genetic identity test in minutes; some predict
that this test may even be performed with a hand-held device. Of
course, this would require a database with portions of everyone's genetic
code. This advance may be prevented if people refuse to be
cataloged.
Genetic Engineering
Genetic sequence maps will show what sequences of DNA create what proteins
and what those proteins do. This knowledge, when cataloged, will
allow genetic engineers to find and insert combinations of DNA sequences
into organisms, giving the new organisms desirable traits. Genetic
maps will allow these scientists to predict more accurately how traits
will interact and allow for more radical changes of the organisms. |