The Human Genome Project Flashcards

All 4 cards in this deck

What did the Human Genome Project do?

It worked out the sequence of all 3 billion base pairs in human DNA, finishing in 2003.

What is personalised medicine?

Treatment or medicine chosen to suit an individual patient's own genes.

Give one medical benefit of the Human Genome Project.

Genes that raise the risk of a disease can be identified, so people can be tested and the disease prevented or treated early.
Accept: choosing the best drug for a patient's genes (personalised medicine).

Give one possible problem with people knowing what alleles are in their genome.

Someone who learns they carry a high-risk allele may suffer worry or stress.
Accept: discrimination, e.g. by employers or insurers.