DNA Fingerprinting

Unit Biology 2: Section 11.8

Each person (apart from identical twins) has unique DNA. This can be used to identify individuals in process known as DNA fingerprinting

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Genetic Disease

Unit Biology 2: Section 11.8

Some disorders are inherited:

• Huntington’s disease; a disorder of the nervous system is caused by a dominant allele of a gene and can therefore be passed on by only one parent who has the disorder
• Cystic fibrosis; a disorder of cell membranes must be inherited from both parents. The parents may be carriers of the disorder without actually having the disorder themselves. It is caused by a recessive allele of a gene and can therefore be passed on by parents, neither of whom has the disorder. (Attention is drawn to the potential sensitivity needed in teaching about inherited disorders.

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Genetic Screening

Unit Biology 2: Section 11.8

• to make informed judgements about the economic, social and ethical issues concerning embryo screening that they have studied or from information that is presented to them
• Embryos can be screened for the alleles that cause these and other genetic disorders

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Genetic Testing

Unit Biology 2: Section 11.8

• to make informed judgements about the economic, social and ethical issues concerning embryo screening that they have studied or from information that is presented to them
• Embryos can be screened for the alleles that cause these and other genetic disorders’.

Some disorders are inherited:

• Huntington’s disease; a disorder of the nervous system is caused by a dominant allele of a gene and can therefore be passed on by only one parent who has the disorder
• Cystic fibrosis; a disorder of cell membranes must be inherited from both parents. The parents may be carriers of the disorder without actually having the disorder themselves. It is caused by a recessive allele of a gene and can therefore be passed on by parents, neither of whom has the disorder. (Attention is drawn to the potential sensitivity needed in teaching about inherited disorders.)

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PGD

Unit Biology 2: Section 11.8

• to make informed judgements about the economic, social and ethical issues concerning embryo screening that they have studied or from information that is presented to them
• Embryos can be screened for the alleles that cause these and other genetic disorders’.

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Stem Cells

Unit Biology 2: Section 11.8

to make informed judgements about the social and ethical issues concerning the use of stem cells from embryos in medical research and treatments

• Most types of animal cells differentiate at an early stage whereas many plant cells retain the ability to differentiate throughout life. In mature animals, cell division is mainly restricted to repair and replacement. Cells from human embryos and adult bone marrow, called stem cells, can be made to differentiate into many different types of cells e.g. nerve cells. Treatment with these cells may help conditions such as paralysis.

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