As you all might recall few years ago.....biologist has already
map the human Genome.
"The first phase of the ambitious international effort to
determine the entire sequence of the human chromosome set is
virtually complete. Human Genome Project scientists plan to finish
the human sequence by 2003, along with a database of the most
common sequence variations that distinguish one person from
another"
But most of you do not understand how that is impact to future
treatment of cancer. Actually i believe Cancer treatment is already
inplaced but unfornately the medical community are totally
unprepared......and if you are doctors now you are probably
unprepared because they do not know how to read Genetics code.
Here is basically what can be done with today Genome
biotechnology....particularly on area of Breast Cancer.
There are basically instrument that would be able to map your
individual Genome sequencing and determine the area of Gene
mutation on your body that causes Cancer.
The same machine would than map the Gene of the Cancer cell.
Than BioChem can synthesis a Chemo Therapy for your Gene
to shrink the Cancer grow.
Coool.........!!!!
You knowledge in this is at the basic level dude.
Finally I saw a post that is in my field.
In order to maximize the use of Human Genome Project to benefit
humans, we need Structural Biologist.
Indeed, this project gives us an idea of our whole genome.
Remember that each an everyone of us is unique, we have different
genes but 99.9% of us have the same genes. It is the very little
difference in us that made us unique. Our characteristic, physical
and psysiological features are all different from one another.
Cancers (in general), are arise not based on the work of
a single gene. It is a combination of factors that lead to the
development of tumours. There may be multiple number of genes
controlling the growth and development of tumour. When people say
"breast cancer" gene, they do not literally refer to a gene that
cause breast cancer. The vague term is only referring to a
combination of genetic factors that contributes to the development
of cancer.
If you are in the study of Biology, you should understand your
Central Dogma of Molecular Biology, which first and foremost states
that Genes product (protein) undergo various splicing and
modification process. We only have a hand full of genes, but we are
able to come up with tens of thousands of proteins.
It is no doubt that the root cause of cancer is highly due to
mutation of genes, which results in a total/partial loss of gene
function (i.e. proteins structure modification). By understanding
our genome, it gives us the ability to read genes and be able to
tell which type of mutation occured in the gene. Based on today's
accuracy in Full Genome Sequencing, we are still far from the
"Medicine of Tomorrow" or "personalize drugs".
In the treatment of cancer, you may use morder cancer treatment
method which includes but not limited to chemotherapy. There are
alternative methods which were reported effective against certain
types of cancer. I wish to highlight to you that chemotherapy is
outdated in today's morden medicine, but remained as a popular
choice in cancer treatment.
Although I am not specifically into Genome Biotechnology,
but I can tell that the outlined method seems to vague and without
depth. As I am in the field of studies of Biomedical Science
(specialization in Structural Biology, Genomics, Proteomics, and
Cell Cycle and Oncology), I can tell you that there is much more
going on than "shrinking the cancer grow".
Cancer is cause by the uncontrollable cell division that is
without any regulations. There is no way that you can "shrink a
cancer grow" because the cell division is not regulated. However,
you can remove the cancerous cells by the means of surgical or
medicine.
With regards to how Human Genome Project can benefit the
treatment of Cancer, below are my views:
1) HGP can help to identify genetic mutations in the genome of
human by comparing with a database of a population (which we
do not have).
2) HGP can lead to the development of "personalize drugs"
which is very specific and unique to yourself
only. [Do read up on haplotypes] This can help to develop
drugs that can treat the root problem of the cause of your
cancer.
3) A team consisting of Structural Biologist, Molecular
Biologist, Oncology Pharmacist, Geneticist can work together
to create a brand-new drug that is able to cure cancers by focucing
on the molecular root problem.
Best Regards,
Chin Seng
Homework Forum Moderator.