If it were not for the creativity and ingenuity of thousands upon thousands of scientists, engineers, and mathematicians, our society would lag far behind what we have today, both technologically and in concrete knowledge. Creativity is the main component of what has allowed biological research to prosper throughout the years: scientists have been able to devise solutions to some of the world’s largest problems, from synthesizing medications to halt the growth of illnesses to the employment of bioengineering in cleaning up pollution and maintaining proper environmental standards. These discoveries have and continue to save the lives of countless people, in the United States and across the globe.
The Human Genome Project (HGP), in particular, is a notable and iconic example of how biological research is contributing greatly to saving millions of lives. This research, which first launched in October 1990 and completed in April 2003, introduced novel information about the human blueprint, namely identifying genes associated with diseases.
The HGP’s fundamental ambition, since its beginning, has been to search for genes linked to diseases, understand genetic disorders, and devise treatments. Two decades on, human genomics research empirically supports the prospects of precision public health and precision medicine. With newer and newer advancements in studying the human genome, personal genomes are becoming more widely affordable, and as artificial intelligence and data science continue to be applied in the study of life sciences, genetic disease screening programs are increasing in number and enrollment, and digitally-modeling sophisticated human biology is becoming less and less of a tedious task. Similarly, advanced DNA sequencing technologies will allow for scientists to sequence whole genomes to precisely identify individuals. This is especially important in DNA forensics since forensic scientists could potentially use more than 10 DNA regions to construct a DNA profile of an individual. Due to these advancements, health economic benefits continue to accrue, and more governmental policies and higher budgets are instituted in order for precision medicine to continue in its successes.
Moreover, comparative genomics between humans and other species of organisms will help determine the yet-unknown functions of thousands of genes, and new insights regarding the relationships among the three kingdoms of life: eukaryotes, prokaryotes, and archaebacteria.
From the HGP, new programs have been created to apply the knowledge of genomes beyond clinical utilization. Notably, the Microbial Genome Program seeks to sequence bacterial genomes to be used in energy production, toxic waste reduction, and environmental remediation. The benefits of new information discovered by this program on the characterization of microbial genomes are immense and include: gaining insights into new energy-related biotechnologies such as microbial systems that operate in extreme environmental conditions, photosynthetic systems, and the developments of new test methods, products, and processes that will push society closer to achieving a cleaner environment.
Biological research in genetics and genomics brings abundantly large benefits to society; we can expect to see more advancements in the future. However, it is important to underline that behind all of the benefits that are accumulated from biological research, there are some serious economic, technological, and ethical challenges that come with conducting such research.
Economically, global wealth gaps lead to wealthier countries being able to afford expensive technologies, research programs, and population health initiatives in order for precision public health to advance. If left unchecked, then precision public health and research into it becomes reserved for only wealthy nations, rather than all nations. Additionally, precision public health relies heavily on big data to stimulate clinical translation and scientific discovery; common data security, sharing, analysis, and/or federation standards must be implemented and secured for data infrastructure to best support precision public health work.
Perhaps one of the largest challenges associated with biological research is maintaining ethical standards. A founding principle of research is ensuring that natural resources, the environment, and all forms of life are respected. Some examples of the types of harm that emerge from conducting biological research include ecosystem disruption and harm to humans or other participants in a research project. In fact, one of the most controversial cases in the history of medical research and medicine was the Henrietta Lacks case, plagued by the exposure of confidential medical information, a lack of informed consent, and the commercialization of her cells for profit.
For all the aforementioned reasons, ethics committees exist to review research involving life forms; discussion of the ethical principles of justice, beneficence, and autonomy are integral components of ethical review. In my opinion, in order to keep biological research as ethically adhesive as possible, researchers must maintain honesty and integrity in their experimental design, critically and carefully examine work, and keep good records.
Biological research has its fruits and its obstacles. The Human Genome Project is a great example of how the scientific community is prioritizing the study of the human genome in order to procure long-term societal benefits for not just people, but also the environment. The HGP is hastening the advancements of contemporary treatments for hereditary diseases and guiding our societies toward achieving cleaner ecosystems. However, I recognize that there are economic, technological, and especially ethical challenges that come with conducting such research that must be minimized as much as possible.
