Thursday, February 26, 2015

One Small Step For DNA, Another Small Step For Babies

   By:
Luke Tedesco and Jorge Soto-Arreola 

        First things first, what is Genetic Screening? Genetic screening is the sequencing of a new born's DNA in order to discover genetic differences, anomalies, or mutations that may occur in the future years. But giving the definition cant help with much. Once the new baby is born, the doctor brings it into a room and pricks the heel, drawing blood. The doctors store the blood and analyze it to get the genetic code from the baby. This process takes about two to three months to find all the G's, A's, T's and C's (nucleotides in the DNA). Once the DNA is done screening, it shows the patient and scientists the babies DNA. Inside this coding, the DNA can show: diseases, mutations, and future problems that could happen.


         Most people argue that "scientists are playing god" or "screening is not natural," but those who control stored DNA aren't using it maliciously or unethically, they just have it saved for research and experiments in order to help those who are affected by mutations and illnesses. For example, having a baby genetically screened helps the parents find out what diseases or mutations that their child can contract, or what could happen in the baby's body that may cause a defect or mutation. In addition, getting screened can have a dramatic affect on the future of science. If a fetus is screened and researchers find a disease or mutation, then earlier action can be taken to help the child survive or turn the mutation around. Scientists could have the ability to solve down syndrome, diabetes, and many more genetic defects.

         But not everything is perfect. Screening can also be not beneficial. For example, scientists could make wrong codes from the DNA. Making a wrong genetic code is simple to mess up. But think about a patient getting a (wrong) genetic code for their baby, and the doctor/ scientist says they baby has a disease (but they really don't). The waste of money and research just for even one letter can mess up someone's life. In addition, scientists/ doctors can make something worse from that one mistake in the genetic code. When someone goes through cancer treatment they get: Chemo Therapy, and some types of medication. But the coding is wrong... so this helpless baby is getting exposed to radiation, and medications that are doing nothing but making the situation worse. They could get a disease, or even worse from all these methods, but not notice a disease even shows up since the doctors/scientists are so focused on the "disease" the baby has. And by the time they figure out how to fix the problem, they could either: keep going (making their mistake even worse), realize what they've done, or kill the patient or patients child. So from one letter mistake in a genetic code, the scientists/ doctors may have messed up someone life and future generations to come.

           My partern and I's idea of genetic screening has positive feedback; however we also disagree with the subject. Genetic screening can help the future generations to come, but it can also be a scam and mistake just awaiting to happen. Genetic screening doesn't have to be done, its the patients choice. If the patient does it, great, good for them. If not, great, good for them. It doesn't matter if a patient does it or not. The only thing that matters is to help the people in the world, and the have a healthy, fully functioned future.


Now for some fun:



Questions:
1. Have you been genetically screened?


2. If you ever have children, would you want them to be genetically screened?

3. If you were genetically tested (genetic screened but for adults), would you want to know what's inside your DNA?

4. If you were scanned and found out you had a risk to a genetic disease, would you want treatment if it wasn't that serious?

5. What could be a side effect of getting scanned


Citations :
Genetic Testing. (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2015, from http://differentgenetictesting.yolasite.com/

Newborn genetic screening. (2007). In World of Genetics. Gale. Retrieved from http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/scic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?failOverType=&query=&prodId=SCIC&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&display-query=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Reference&limiter=&currPage=&disableHighlighting=false&displayGroups=&sortBy=&search_within_results=&p=SCIC&action=e&catId=&activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE%7CCV2433500347&source=Bookmark&u=las89135&jsid=da477caa8a6da953bff108d7416f4d5a



Newborn Screening. (n.d.). Retrieved February 19, 2015, from http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/nbs


Wheeler, P. (2012, September 1). Newborn Screening Tests. Retrieved February 19, 2015, from http://kidshealth.org/parent/system/medical/newborn_screening_tests.html





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