HGP (8.16)

Question 1

Describe how the HGP could lead to personalized medicine

Answer 1

The HGP has allowed for the early detection of genetic illnesses so due to this treatment plans can be tailored for individuals and their illnesses, by finding what drugs and treatments will work best and starting them on these treatments as soon as possible.

Question 2

Give the ethical implication of the HGP

Answer 2

Worries over confidentiality and drug companies having access to individual’s genome. This could be used to unfairly dicriminate against people with certain genetic variants who require medication (by making it more expensive).

By increasing costs used to research new drugs means their prices increase meaning only wealthier people will have access to new and potentailly effective drugs

Some individuals may be denied personalized medicine as it does not align with predicitions made even though it msy be the only effective treatment available. This denial may also cause stress in patients.