Genome Findings to Benefit Human LifeRecent headline-grabbing achievements on the human genome project will soon be more than just talk. Chinese scientists say the project's findings will soon graduate from laboratories and be used in day-to-day medical care.During the Human Genome Project (HGP) that began in the United States in 1990, scientists have produced a working draft of 90 per cent of human genome with an accuracy of 99.9 per cent, said Yang Huanming, a researcher from the Human Genetics Institute of Chinese Academy of Sciences. A forum of HGP specialists is currently being held in Beijing. Based on the working draft, scientists have deciphered 40,000 genes, duplicated dozens of genes closely related to diseases, said Yang, a chief scientist of HGP's China research. And some 40 kinds of hormones and substances produced by the body can now be manufactured artificially through the application of genetic technology, including insulin and human growth hormone. Genetics-based disease prediction, prevention, diagnosis and therapy will bring medicine to a new level, said Yang. Studies of DNA code could become a method to diagnose disease, said Yang. The HGP will also help scientists make progress in curing cancer and senile dementia, said Yang. In the near future, people can use the human genome map as a reference book to adjust their diet and lifestyle according to their health and living environment, Yang added. The map of the human genome belongs to all of humanity, but it must be used responsibly so it doesn't damage ethics and families, said Li Zhensheng, a Chinese Association for Science and Technology official. Governmental officials and scientists should take measures to avoid abuse of human genome resources, said Li. China joined the HGP plan last July to become the sixth partner along with the United States, Britain, Japan, France and Germany. "Although China has completed only 1 per cent of the total HGP, Chinese scientists, stimulated by the plan and their success, will contribute more to worldwide biology progress," said Yang. Cao Zeyi, a cancer researcher and deputy-director of the Chinese Medical Science Association, said that human genome studies will greatly improve cancer therapies. Currently, hospitals mainly use chemotherapy and radiation to fight cancer. Patients usually suffer a lot, as doctors try these methods one by one, or finally combine them, said Cao. Cancer, which is abnormal cell growth, is partly related to genetic mutation. Genome studies can be used by doctors to screen patients for predisposition to cancer and gene therapy treatment, said Cao. |
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