Genome

In particular, we are interested in understanding the PER gene in relationship to the free running period and the onset of activity in an organism. In addition, we will look to explain how multiple PER homologs arose in the human genome by identifying duplication events throughout…

CRISPR Genes – A way to eradicate Autism to Cancer to Zellweger syndrome and everything in-between It was September 20th 2001. It was the day my mother would be screened if the fetus (i.e. me in my glorious self) showed an elevated risk for Downs Syndrome. A triple screen blood was performed which measured the quantities of three substances: Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) which is produced by the fetus, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), and unconjugated estriol which is produced by the placenta. The…

editing of the genome has been achieved and advanced through the development of sequence-specific nucleases1. Zinc-finger nucleases and transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) are programmable DNA binding nucleases previously used to achieve this targeted editing of DNA. However these tools have been found to be both time consuming and difficult to employ. The development a system known as CRISPR/Cas9 system brings both ease and efficiency to world of targeted genome editing.…

DATABASES 1. Assembly Assembly database is needed to provide a systematic organization of genome. To accomplish that, the genome is fragmented into small pieces and is sequenced for many times to try to recreate the set of chromosome sequences. This database provides a unique tracker in form of accession so that users can identify changes to an assembly in precise locations whenever needed. There are two different types of assembly updates which are major release and minor release. 2.…

Human consumption of genetically modified foods also known as GMOs are not safe. GMOs are where scientists modify the genome sequence of food to make the company 's products genetically superior to organic foods. Changing the genetic sequence of the plants will open up unexpected effects in the health of the human body that no one has ever predicted before. When one really look into the risk of consuming the mutated foods, one may start to think. Some of the thoughts that pop up into the mind of…

As biotechnology continues to advance, a matter that interests both genetic and conservation scientists is the de-extinction of species, or the resurrection of lost species. The idea of Jurassic Park, a 1993 American film where genetic scientists created a wildlife park with cloned dinosaurs, is no longer science fiction. It is becoming an increasingly considered possibility, and with the present-day extinction rate of species higher than ever, scientists have commenced to ponder the prospect of…

Hershey a Nobel Peace Prize in viral genetics. After proving our genetics were housed in our DNA, advances on DNA could start. These advances and research into our genome could lead us to cures for cancers. It could change proteins by changing the code that will make them. Eventually we could prevent nearly any disease by changing the genome inside the Mother’s womb. While the baby is still being formed and nothing is for…

Summary: ״The CRISPR Conundrum״ “The CRISPR Conundrum” (2016) by Mary Bates, describes “CRISPR”- clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, which is a new revolutionary technology in genetic engineering. It is a kind of molecular scissors that can be programmed to snip specific bits of DNA. The article talks about the advantages of CRISPR, yet it describes CRISPR’s disadvantages as well. On the one hand, CRISPR is a cheap and precise technique to edit the DNA of animals,…

The advent of personalized medicine is moving us from a traditional “one-size-fits-all” approach, based on broad population averages, to a more precise health care that is customized for each individual patient. The sequencing of the human genome has initiated a genomic era of personalized medicine. Knowledge of patients genomic, gained through high through-put next generation sequencing (NGS) is offering opportunities for biological insights and clinical diagnostics. Advances in this field have…

Babies Review The field of science is an ever-growing entity, melding our futures with every breakthrough. One field is that of genetic modification. Gene modification usually brings the thought of produce into mind, but this also applies to human genomes. I viewed a TED Talk led by speaker Paul Knoepfler that delves into concerns of these modifications, particularly that of designer babies. Chosen out of a plethora of videos, the subject matter of genetic modification appealed to my interests…