Transcript Human Genome Project, Gene Therapy, and Cloning

Human Genome Project,
Gene Therapy, and Cloning
The Human Genome Project
 An international effort to decipher the
DNA blueprint of a human being
Human Genome Project Goals:
To sequence & determine
the exact order of the
nucleotides (A,C,T,G) for
ALL of the DNA in a human
cell
 To determine which
sections of DNA represent
the individual genes
 To store this information in
databases for analysis

Publishing the human genome
Gene Therapy
Replacement of an abnormal
protein with a normal one
1.Isolate the normal sequence for the
protein & package it into a virus (vector).
2.Infect a target cell, usually the one with
the illness, such as a liver or lung cell.
3.The cell uses the normal sequence to
produce the missing protein and is thus
repaired.
Problems with Gene Therapy
 Short
lived, so patients have to go
through multiple rounds
 Immune response to foreign
invaders
 Problems with the viruses
 Very expensive
 Multigene disorders
What is Cloning?
 Cloning
is the creation of an
organism that is the EXACT
genetic copy of the mother
 Identical twins are natural
clones, they share 100% of
their DNA
What is Cloning?