Human genome project

Question 1

what is the human genome

Answer 1

all of the DNA, genes or alleles for a species

Question 2

what are the objectives of the Human Genome project

Answer 2

• identify all the 23,000 genes in the human DNA and
  determine the sequences of the 3 billion chemical base pairs that make up human DNA to then store this information in a date base
• improve tools for data analysis
• transfer related technologies to the private sector and address the ethical, legal and social issues that may arise from the project

Question 3

how could the human genome project help the medical field

Answer 3

• help to create personalised medicine which is most effective with the leats side effected
• improve disease diagnosis
• detect genetic disposition

Question 4

gene

Answer 4

the length of DNA made up of exons and introns that codes for a single polypeptide chain

Question 5

SNP

Answer 5

single-nucleotide polymorphisms are where a DNA sequence is different to the expected sequence by a single nucleotide

Question 6

exons

Answer 6

coding sections of DNA

Question 7

introns

Answer 7

non-coding sections of a gene

Question 8

candidate genes

Answer 8

genes that may cause a particular disease

Question 9

drug target

Answer 9

a specific molecule in an individual that a drug interacts with to bring about its effect

Question 10

ethical issues relating to the Human Genome project

Answer 10

1. testing for genetic predisposition could lead to discrimination from insurance companies by finding out an individual risk of developing a disease
2. issues with confidentiality when making and keeping records
3. very costly