Section B01. The New Genetics: Promises and Problems
In The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, the ultimate answer to the question of "life, the universe, and everything" turns out to be... forty two. The hero of the story cries, "But what is the question?" The completion of the genome projects--including the human genome--is like this. We know the ultimate answer in the form of the information that underlies both the biochemical plan of all living systems, and also determines the unique identity of every organism. The sequence of DNA has evolved over the past 3.8 billion years to generate the masterpiece that we know as Life on Earth. With the answer in hand, we must decide what questions to ask.
Some of these questions are technical, while others are ethical. Individuals of all races have 99.9% of the genetic code in common; what then is the meaning of "race" genetically speaking? If a tenth of one percent determines height, eye color and other genetic distinctions, how do we find the differences that set us apart? While any single genetically based disease is rare, a predisposition can be found once in every 3,000 infants. Should we test all infants for all known genetic disorders? Are we moving inevitably toward the creation of "clonal man?" Who owns the DNA in your cells? Could the onset of Alzheimer's disease be curtailed by the use of gene therapy in our childhood years? What should we do with our growing ability to manipulate the content of genetic material? This seminar will focus on the molecules of DNA and of proteins, starting with the story of the determination of their respective structures and moving to the completion of the human genome. Familiarity with the structure of DNA, and the methods used to sequence it, will enable us to appreciate why the genome was completed a good five years ahead of schedule. However, our understanding of the genome's function will be limited until we have a fuller grasp of the proteins it encodes. The new field of inquiry, called proteomics, will soon surpass the genome projects in importance.
(Elita Pastra-Landis)