The Importance and Issues of Human Genome Sequencing

Human genome sequencing provides scientists with a roadmap of the human body, and the publication of the human genome sequence expands genetic understanding and possibility. This article discusses the importance of human genome sequencing and its potential uses.

Human genome sequencing provides valuable information about the genetic composition of the human body, but this is just the beginning. The importance of this information is obvious, but many are weary concerning the amount of time it will take for this information to be put to practical use. A question of how the information will be used is also at the forefront of many minds. Human genome sequencing can potentially be used for diagnostics, vaccines, and therapies. This article discusses the use of genome sequencing in diagnostic tests for cystic fibrosis carriers. These tests utilize genome sequencing, but they also present the limitation of the sequencing, and therapies have not been created using the information provided by human genome sequencing.

Human genome sequencing has been discussed and researched since the 1980s, and the publication of this information provides a level playing field for scientists. Understanding the location of genes is important, but it is now the job of scientists to study these genes more thoroughly. To use this information for diagnostics, vaccines, and therapies scientists must determine more information about the genes such as which gene creates which protein, when this occurs, and in which cells does this process occur. These studies are used around the world to understand major diseases; this is a complex task because more than genetics play a role in these diseases. Infectious diseases are also coming under the study of genetic sequencing, and the complexity is compounded for the need to study the genome of the disease as well. Ethical issues associated with these issues are also a concern, and it appears human genome sequencing has opened a new world to scientists.

" To transform sequence data into diagnostic tests, vaccines, and therapies, scientists have important questions to answer," and the focus of these studies on complex diseases inevitably leads to a long time before this information can be put to use (Gavaghan). The value of this information cannot be questioned, but the benefits of understanding human genome sequencing may not come to fruition for a very long time.

Human genome sequencing is an important study that maps the genetic makeup of the human body. The applications of this information are understood, but I believe it will be a long time before these applications are actually put into use.

Reference

Gavaghan, Helen. "Human genome sequences--a potential treasure trove, but how

useful?." World Health Organization 12(2001):583.eLibrary. Web. 15 May. 2011.