The Human Genome Project ( Hgp ) - 1324 Words

In 2000, the $3 billion dollar project--The Human Genome Project (HGP)--came to completion. Geneticists can now provide a patient with a comprehensive map of their DNA sequence. Obtaining such information can tell a patient if they have the gene variant associated with many different genetically linked diseases such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes, heart conditions or even cancer. This medical revolution can indicate what drugs to take, at what dosage and what lifestyle choices can be made in order to prevent the disease or at the least, control the symptoms at the earliest stages as possible. However, this new diagnostic tool has raised some ethical issues: Will your privacy be protected? Will insurance companies pressure you into getting your†¦show more content†¦However, a percentage of the Human Genome Project budget was devoted to the Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) research. This program was founded to identify and address issues raised by genomic resear ch, including conflicts of interest affecting all the concerned parties. These issues also include worries about insurers using genetic information to impose high premiums and deny coverage or companies refusing employment opportunities. Yet with new technology comes new laws; for example, in the United States, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act was passed on May 21st 2008[1]. As the name implies, this law prohibits employers and health insurance companies from using genetic information, protecting citizens from discrimination based on their predisposition to developing a genetic disorder. If DNA sequencing were to become standard medical procedure, such laws will have to be enacted in order to protect the patient’s rights. In the process of developing the Human Genome Project, multiple gene expression-based cancer markers were identified. Furthermore, geneticists began to note that cancer pathologies are most often not restricted to one single genomic mutation. On the contrary, a large number of different alterations in a patient s DNA come together and cause the malignant transformation. The combination of mutations, structural variations and