How is DNA Mapping Applicable to Diseases?

 

Since the DNA Map will reveal information detailing the function and importance of individual genes in relation to the human body, outcomes from this project will present both physicians and scientists with an advantage above all others.  Presently, over 3000 diseases are caused by the wrong DNA combinations in a gene.  Just a single misplaced letter is enough to generate a disease.  In other words, genes not only influence an individual’s personality, but they also determine what diseases a person might get.  Thus, once the complete set of genes has been decoded and understood, new approaches to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases will prevail.

 

For example, in its first five years, the genes involved in Cystic Fibrosis and Colon Cancer were discovered.  Cystic Fibrosis is the most common lethal hereditary disease among White Americans. Cystic fibrosis (also called CF) is an incurable disease, which affects breathing, digestion, reproduction, and other body functions. The symptoms of this chronic, lifelong disease are generally diagnosed in early childhood and usually become more severe with age.  In the recent past, children suffering with CF rarely survived to adulthood. However, remarkable medical discoveries in recent years, such as the location of the gene can be found through diagnostic tests.  Secondly, two genes are being held responsible for Colon Cancer.  Over 1 million Americans carry these misspelled genes.  Colon Cancer symptoms included rectal bleeding, blood in the stool, abdominal pain, and a change in bowel habits.  Since, these genes have been located; a simple blood test can be used to detect the diseases in high-risk individuals.  These tests along with many are only a start to a series of preventative strategies that will greatly reduce deaths from the disease.

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