Why is it that although the human genome has been mapped, it doesn't seem like there has been much (if any) scientific or medical advancement lately (at least none presented in the media). Why have they not made any of the scientific leaps that were anticipated? Any ideas?
2007-04-13 21:20:53 · 7 answers · asked by apologetickid 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
Shagohod77, can you cite your info? I'd like to learn more about that. Thanks!
2007-04-13 21:35:10 · update #1
The Human Genome Project is well and running.
Begun formally in 1990, the U.S. Human Genome Project was a 13-year effort coordinated by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health. The project originally was planned to last 15 years, but rapid technological advances accelerated the completion date to 2003.
Project goals were to
- identify all the approximately 20,000-25,000 genes in human DNA,
- determine the sequences of the 3 billion chemical base pairs that make up human DNA,
- store this information in databases,
- improve tools for data analysis,
- transfer related technologies to the private sector, and
- address the ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI) that may arise from the project.
It also fostered the development of new medical applications, including cancer research. You can find information about this here:
http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/medicine/medicine.shtml
Some advances have been made, for example new candidates for cancer surrogate markers have been found and mutations on those genes are presently screened for. However, the project only came to completion 4 years ago. You could not expect them to have found a "cure for cancer", which besides does not exist (as such), just yet!
2007-04-13 21:38:16 · answer #1 · answered by Jesus is my Savior 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Gemome Project has a much darker side to it that you'll hear in most newspapers and editorials. The Genome Project isnt just about mapping the genome for science and medical advancement. It has also benn undertaken by private corporations to actually patent certain areas of the human genome so that drugs in the near that interact on a genetic level will need a patent to be able to affect a sequence. No joking here. There's hunge money involved here and its a race to keep patenting the building blocks of life to reap future profits. As for the progression of science, it is an idea to wrap this kind of private enterprise behind. Scary huh? But since 2001, living things can be patented and DNA is no different. I believe Yale has a patent on an cancer prone breed of rat used in much of its research.
2007-04-13 21:31:50 · answer #2 · answered by shagohod77 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
According to Wikipedia, the reference human genome sequence was considered pragmatically 'complete' at 92% in 2005 You habe to realize what a large number of data sets we're dealing with without even double-checking. The project is still way ahead of schedual from where the experts thought we'd be a decade ago. Also remember that studies for each use have to be conducted over many years. Give it another decade or two and shagohod77
above will have his brain chemistry corrected and he'll put down the torch and return to his village.
2007-04-13 21:41:40 · answer #3 · answered by projectautoman 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, I was watching Discovery the other day, and I heard , dont quote me tho, that even though the genome is mapped it doesnt agree with what they thought. According to the episode it seems the genome itself is composed of yet another " call it blue print " that we must also investigate
Take for example the periodic table, although many many years ago people knew that it consisted of some metals, non-metals, alkali's, ect they didnt know for sure of the atoms themselves just a goup of atoms with certain properties
The same is true for the genome, it seems some areas although seemingly identical, according to the data have completlely different functions.
This puzzled scientist at first and made them rethink that like atoms there is much more to them that needs to be studied
2007-04-13 21:32:10 · answer #4 · answered by dragongml 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As far as I can gather, they are working on energy issues at the moment. I think Stem Cell Research was more about finding cures than HGP and that was cut short by the Bush administration. There's a good site about the continuation of the Human Genome Project - http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/home.shtml Hope that helps.
2007-04-13 21:39:33 · answer #5 · answered by damned_flipper 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, they did discover the "fat gene", but I think that wasn't the Human Genome Project, and the HGP was not set up to cure cancer, just to map DNA profiles and identify the 20000-25000 genes in human DNA
2007-04-13 21:39:41 · answer #6 · answered by nerdnoc90 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
in the news they gave it that resses monkey genome is decoded and 85% of it similar to humans and this is used for cancer treatment
how god knows lol......
2007-04-14 01:03:54 · answer #7 · answered by gayatri r 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋