Big medicine? History and the Human Genome Project

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Big medicine? History and the Human Genome
Project

• HI269
• Week 22

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Metaphors of heredity

• Mapping -- voyages of discovery Like Columbus
  leaving the coast of Spain, the explorers of the
  Human genome cannot yet see beyond the horizon
  ... the rest of us are like Ferdinand and
  Isabella. We are paying for the voyage, and we
  know its underway. But we are left behind on
  terra firma. All we can do now is wait to see
  what the explorers bring back to us. Think also
  of colonialism (esp. in relationship to patenting
  genes and genetic sequences)
• Language ---gtCode
• context dependent --gt deterministic
• information as metaphor --gt information as
  product/fact
• Grail implications of HGP as a quest?
  Implications for science? Humanity?
• Libraries/reading
• Book of Life in the beginning was the word...

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Genetics and Genomics Whats the difference?

• Genetics is the study of individuals, and of
  the effects of specific DNA crosses. It also
  includes the study of chromosomal aberrations,
  mutations, etc., resulting from individual
  events.
• Genomics is the study of the genetics of whole
  populations or even species (depending on how
  localised or dispersed those species are)

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So what, then, was the Human Genome Project?

• What do you think of when you hear the phrase
  Human Genome Project?
• Does the idea engage your interest, or is it just
  another bit of science news?
• Where does your information about this eneavour
  come from?
• Are your impressions utopian or dystopian?

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So what, then, was the Human Genome Project?

• It was an attempt to map or sequence the
  entire genetic complement of a (composite) human.
  
• It was the result of a campaign amongst
  biologists to produce big biology, equivalent
  to the big science of the Manhattan Project or
  the Space Race
• It reflected each participating nations very
  different perceptions of the appropriate
  relationship between public and private/corporate
  science

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Rhetoric of the HGP

• As intended, the HGP has become a truly
  international effort to understand the structure
  and function of the human genome. Many countries
  are participating according to their specific
  interests and capabilities. Coordination is
  informal and generally effected at the
  scientist-to-scientist level. The U.S. component
  of the project is sponsored by the National Human
  Genome Research Institute at the National
  Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Office of
  Biological and Environmental Research at the
  Department of Energy (DOE). The HGP has benefited
  greatly from the contributions of its
  international partners. The private sector has
  also provided critical assistance. These
  collaborations will continue, and many will
  expand. Both NIH and DOE welcome participation of
  all interested parties in the accomplishment of
  the HGP's ultimate purpose, which is to develop
  and make publicly available to the international
  community the genomic resources that will
  expedite research to improve the lives of all
  people.
• Francis S. Collins, Ari Patrinos, Elke Jordan,
  Aravinda Chakravarti, Raymond Gesteland, LeRoy
  Walters, and the members of the DOE and NIH
  planning groups, New Goals for the U.S. Human
  Genome Project1998-2003, Science 292 (1998)
  682-89. All emphases added.

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Chronology of the HGP

• 1910s-1930s Mendelian inheritance, with
  development of research organisms, exploration of
  recessive and dominant characteristics
  research on human heredity heavily slanted
  towards eugenic questions, interests and goals
• 1940s Shift away from eugenics, particularly as
  links between Nazi eugenics and Holocaust becomes
  clear new focus on human genetics and linkage
  analysis
• 1950s Use of bacterial genetics identification
  of the 22 paired human autosomes discovery of
  structure of DNA points the way towards
  biochemical and later molecular studies of
  heredity emergence of genetic counseling
  (initially with emphasis on providing eugenic
  advice to parents, but turns away from this by
  end of decade
• 1960s Biochemical human variants identified,
  explored via molecular genetics but molecular
  genetics painfully slow extensive studies of the
  human chromosomes search for map of human genome
  fully liberated from eugenics genetics to be
  studies for its own sake and medical applications

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Chronology of the HGP

• 1970s-1980s Molecular geneticists begin building
  support for a Human Genome Project, as biologys
  Space Race. 1973 discovery of recombinant DNA
  hints at possibilities for faster, automated
  sequencing, base-pair by base-pair, in bacterial
  vectors.
• 1990, the Human Genome Programs of the National
  Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of
  Energy (DOE) developed a joint research plan with
  specific goals for the first 5 years (FY 1991 -
  1995) of the U.S. genome project

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Impacts of the HGP

• On medical and biomedical science?
• Did the HGP fulfil its promise as biologys
  space race?
• Did it change the basic premises of what a good
  question or research topic in biology might be?
• Did it change biological understandings of such
  key identity constructs as race or sex?
• Did it produce new medical therapies or
  approaches?

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Impacts of the HGP

• On individual, familial, national identity?
• Did the HGP change how we look at ourselves?
• If so, how?
• Did the HGP change our models of the family,
  either directly or indirectly? (Think about its
  impact on understandings of hereditary diseases,
  for example)
• Did the HGP provide a new kind of national
  identity (either by its international ethos, or
  by the kinds of evolutionary or historical
  knowledge claims about human groups that it
  encouraged?)

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At 304pm on 27 Apr 2009, joepublic99 wrote I
think the rules should be changed that make it
fairer for all and make the border agencies do
their jobs properly.So my suggestion is that any
"illegal" immigrant who makes it past the
professional and diligent efforts of the Border
Control Agency therefore has the right to stay in
the UK and after 366 days can obtain full British
Citizenship subject to an extra caveat as
below...The payback is that ANY "illigal"
immigrant / (new British citizen) under this
scheme who is subsequently convicted of a
custodial sentence in the British legal system at
any time in their life is then stripped of
British nationality and subject to deportation to
their original country without appeal and exempt
from any consideration under the laws on human
rights.If an original country cannot be
determined the individual shall be genetically
tested, the country and area of origin identified
and the individual deported there.Stick it in
the constitution and away we go. It's a kind of
contract between the UK state and the
"illegals".Keeps it simple and efficient. Puts
the onus on the border control agency to do their
jobs properly in the first place and not become
the types of people described in the article.
Downloaded from http//www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/ther
eporters/markeaston/2009/04/the_arrest_and_detenti
on_of_ch.htmlcomments
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Impacts of the HGP

• On our conceptions of history?
• What does it mean that genetic scientists
  encourage us to look for the history of mankind
  in our genomes?
• Do you think that the question Who do you think
  you are? can be answered through genomics?