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Genetics & future medicine
Gene therapy medical implications essay
Genetics & future medicine
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Dr. Jon Schiller describes genetic medicine as the newer term for medical genetics and incorporates areas such as gene therapy, personalised medicine and a new emerging speciality, predictive medicine. Medical genetics is the specialty of medicine that involves the diagnosis and management of hereditary disorders (Dr. Jon Schiller, 2010). We have reached the forefront where systems biology and the digital revolution are together transforming healthcare to a proactive P4 medicine that is predictive, preventive, personalized and participatory (Hood and Flores 2012). P4 medicine is a plan that utilizes biotechnology to radically improve the quality of human life. It is a term coined by biologist Leroy Hood and states that medical practise will be revolutionised to manage a person's health, instead of managing a patients disease.(email p4 medicine) Ciftci and Trovitch in 2000 described how a mutation in just one gene will cause irregular cell behaviour thus leading to a dysfunctional protein (Ciftci and Trovitch 2000). It is the purpose of genetic medicine to rectify such genetic disorders by delivering the correct gene version (Ciftci and Trovitch 2000) such as gene therapy or deliver optimized therapeutic care to the patient (Crommelin et al. 2011) as in personalized medicine. The scope that encompasses genetic medicine is broad, including multiple areas, such as genetic counselling, clinical physicians, nutritionists, clinical diagnostic laboratory activities and research into the inheritance and causes of genetic disorders. This wide scope therefore includes conditions such as birth defects, mental retardation, cancer, skeletal dysplasia, autism and connective tissue disorders (Dr. Jon Schiller, 2010). It is my goal i... ... middle of paper ... ...1.3. Predictive Medicine Currently present are non invasive computational modelling techniques, these are very informative and display results with high levels of accuracy but they do have some drawbacks. It requires a long and dreary approach of formulating math equations which must then be followed by substantial computational efforts. Besides that, model preparations also involve time consuming efforts. In order to minimize computational run-time, certain assumptions have to be made in order to simplify the governing equations and hence expose a certain uncertainty in the results generated. It has reached the day and age where accurate and real time prediction tools are needed in modern clinics and hospitals. To utilize predictive medicine it is important to use the right trends of data mining methodologies to get accurate results (Paramasivam et al. 2014).
Bullying is a serious issue that can occur to various people of different age and background. It is considered a serious problem because of the long lasting health problems that comes with it. The many effects of bullying such as, depression and alcoholism can cause changes in our genes which can possibly be passed on to the future generations. In Sharon Moalem’s essay “Changing Our Genes: How Trauma, Bullying, and Royal Jelly Alter Our Genetic Destiny” he discussed about the effects of bullying on the victims and how it causes gene changes. It is important to know how to prevent bullying as the effects can influence a person mentally and genetically which can be passed on to future generations later on.
In the past 40 years, scientists have developed and applied genetic engineering to alter the genetic make-up of organisms by manipulating their DNA. Scientists can use restriction enzymes to slice up a piece of DNA from an organism with the characteristics they want and spliced (joint) to a DNA from another organism. DNA that contains pieces from different species is called recombinant DNA, and it now has different genetic material from its original. When this DNA inserted back into the organism, it changes the organism’s trait. This technique is known as gene-splicing (Farndon 19).
What is gene patenting? Before you can investigate into gene patenting, one must understand what genes are and what the importance of genes. Genes are proteins and molecules that make up the DNA of everything around us. In essence, they are ingredients that complete everything we touch, feel, or see. We recognize genes as a part of the human DNA. Genes can determine a person’s race, sex, and even how healthy we are. Genetics have multiple purposes. The main purposes of commonly recognized genes are human genetics. Yet, we all do not know the facts about human genetics. The Health Research Funding Organization published a study in 2014 in where “99.5% of all humans do not know that we share a percent of each other’s DNA.”
Another area of medical advancement is genetic engineering. Genetic engineering will detect and possibly stop diseases before birth. Many diseases are associated with specific genes that can be checked for disease and replaced if dysfunctional. Genetic testing has already revealed genetic mutations that cause hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, colon cancer, polycystic kidney disease, Alzheimers disease, and others. (5) Replacing missing, altered, inactive, or dysfunctional genes will prevent diseases or even death. Also, progression of a disease can be monitored, and
For ages clinicians have been using the same trial and error approach to treating patients. Once a specific course of treatment was identified to cure a disease, that remedy became the standard by which to follow. But clinicians are realizing that new biological advances can be applied to the clinical approach of diagnosing patients. These clinicians are gaining knowledge of the molecular core of diseases and using this knowledge to apply genetic technology to patient care.
Genes are made of DNA – the code of life (Gene Therapy- The Great Debate!). The changes in genes may cause serious problems, which we called genetic disorder. In theory, the only method to cure genetic disorders is gene therapy, which basically means the replacement of genes in order to correct the loss or change in people’s DNA. Although gene therapy gives patients with genetic disorders a permanent cure, it is controversial because it has safety and efficacy problems, and raises ethical issues.
The days of taking vitamins, eating certain foods, and conceiving a pregnancy on a specific date in attempt to have a baby boy or girl are over. During the IVF process doctors are able to test embryos for viability before they are implanted into the uterus. The pre-implantation genetic screening (PGS) examines chromosome development and checks for genetic abnormalities. Sex is a chromosome which means specialists can determine the gender of an embryo before it is implanted. More and more couples are taking advantage of PGS and some have even picked the gender of their babies. After celebrities John Legend and Chrissy Teigen announced that they had chosen the sex of their daughter, a controversial issue was brought to light. Parents should be allowed to partake in sex selection of their children due to the fact that IVF is used in situations of infertility, it's a personal choice, and the process is completely safe.
Gene therapy works in a variety of ways. It can be used to solve the problem of having missing genes by adding a gene to fight off a disease3. The main purpose of gene therapy is to help fix mutations in the body by replacing the genes that are functioning incorrectly with ones that are functioning correctly. Some mutations are harmless but others can cause a patient to develop a disease. The DNA in genes are responsible for carrying the information that makes proteins. Proteins can be considered “the building blocks of our body”1 so if a gene is mutated and becomes harmful it can stir up many problems. Using gene therapy cannot only stop a protein from causing harm by returning its normal function; it can also give new functions to a protein to benefit a patient2. By going through this process we can treat diseases at the source instead of using medication to hide symptoms4.
Genetics immensely impacts all aspects of life on earth and as a scientific field it has seen a tremendous growth due to its staggering potential. The study although complex it can be simplified as being the essential principles of heredity and examines the process of how DNA comes together. The intriguing component of genetics is that new discoveries are being published by scientist and the untold potential of the field makes it fast paced and interesting. Also genetics contains very hot button issues such as stem cell research, genetics of aging, bioterrorism, and the evolution of antibiotic resistance as well as countless other relevant issues and discoveries. Genetics is relatively new and considered a “youthful” science that analyzes how traits can be passed through generations. The oldest study of genetics is classical which is also called Mendelian genetics who discovered the entire scientific discipline of genetics. Another description of classical genetics is transmission genetics which describes how traits are transmitted from parent to offspring. Understanding genetics is crucial to have a firm foundation for all the other sciences because of the significance of genes in biology. Offspring inherit genes that contain specific traits that can be genetic disorders, natural talents, or physical characteristics from their parents.
Career Description: Clinical geneticists are physicians who specialize in the field of genetics. They provide diagnostic aid, treat, and counsel patients with genetically-caused health issues. Clinical geneticists may work alongside genetic counsellors and laboratory geneticists, advise therapy and set up screenings to evaluate the patient. Geneticists work in various places such as hospitals and clinics, pharmaceutical companies, private research facilities, biotechnological research companies, government departments, and even universities in biology departments with their focus on genetics. The work environment for a clinical geneticist tends to be a hospital/clinic setting or sometimes a classroom setting either to teach or conduct research at a
According to Anne Wojcicki “As the knowledge around personalized medicine continues to grow, consumers should expect their healthcare providers to begin to incorporate genetic information into their treatments and preventative care.” (Co-Founder of genetic testing company 23andMe on Personalized Medicine) Personalized medicine is a medical model that offers the mix of healthcare medicinal decisions, and products that being tailored to cater the need of the individual patient. It goes according to the individual characteristics, and preferences during all stages of care such as diagnosis, treatment, and prevention to maximize the result of treatment offered to the patients. The basic idea behind it is to come with new methods, which can use our molecular understanding of disease. It focuses on pharmacogenetics those studies genetic differences, which lead to differences in the way certain medicines interact with the human body.
Imagine a world where having a child was more intense than now. Not only do you need to buy a crib, but you have to decide how smart you want your child to be or what eye color they should have. This is what the future of gene therapy will lead to if our world is not cautious. It does have its benefits that can help our world. With the new technology surrounding gene therapy, we can save children from diseases and pain.
Hey! Do you not wanna die due to a genetic problem? Well look no further! Try genetic engineering today! Genetic engineering can help treat genetic diseases and disorders with procedures such as gene therapy. Genetic engineering can benefit everybody's freedom due to it helping with various health issues and it can assist with scientific advances and genetic engineering can help protect the future of the human race.
Thesis Statement: Scientist today could potentially prevent a multitude of diseases through genetic engineering; however, any alterations beyond the medicinal scope would be unethical. Outline: Introduction: Determining whether human modification through genetic engineering is ethical. History/Background: For some time, scientists have explored the possibilities of correcting and/or eliminating genetic diseases by modifying the human genetic makeup via genetic engineering.
While we may not know exactly what health care will look like in 2050, technological advances will improve the diagnosis and treatment of the chronic health conditions we face. Personalized predictive medicine will allow for living longer healthier lives as wireless monitoring systems allow patients to stay connected to health providers (Lawrence, 2010). The focus will shift from treating acute illnesses to finding and treating ailments before they become serious with more costly complications. This more balanced health care system will become a more affordable arrangement for meeting the primary medical needs of patients in the US (Lawrence, 2010).