Revision summary
PCR and sequencing find disease variants and guide some cancer care. NIPT and karyotype serve prenatal and chromosomal medicine. Recombinant insulin shows DNA as a factory, not only a test. Databases can misread Indian alleles if they are Europe-heavy. Ethics of consent and discrimination travel with the kit.
Model answer
Introduction
DNA technology in medicine uses the genome to diagnose, predict, and sometimes treat. Anthropology meets it in counselling, forensics, and population diversity.
Body
Tools
- PCR, Sanger, and now NGS find pathogenic variants in thalassaemia, cystic fibrosis, and cancers.
- Karyotype and FISH still catch aneuploidy. NIPT screens fetal DNA in maternal blood.
- Recombinant insulin and vaccines are DNA-industry medicines, not only tests.
Limits and ethics
- A variant is not always a disease. Penetrance and ancestry bias in databases matter for Indian patients.
- HeLa history and later GINA-style debates show consent and discrimination risks.
- Gene therapy is real for a few disorders; it is not a general cure.
Flow diagram
flowchart TD DNA[DNA technology] --> DX[Diagnosis NGS PCR] DNA --> RX[Recombinant drugs] DNA --> ET[Consent ancestry bias]
Conclusion
DNA technology diagnoses Mendelian disease, screens fetuses, and makes some drugs. Medicine still needs phenotype, consent, and local allele files.
Quick related
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Does a DNA test replace the clinic?
No. Variant interpretation needs symptoms, family, and sometimes functional proof.
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Is gene editing routine care?
A few licensed therapies exist. Most conditions still use counselling and conventional treatment.
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