6.11 Inherited disorder

Conditions passed on in alleles

Polydactyly

• born with extra fingers / toes

• Doesn’t cause other problems

• Caused by DOMINANT allele

Cystic fibrosis

• caused by recessive allele

• Disorder of cell membrane

  • sticky mucus released in lung airways & pancreas

Embryo screening

• Before implanted into womb, a cell from the embryo can be taken & have genes look at to see if it carries any genetic disorder

• This is called embryo screening

Pros & cons of embryo screening

• help reduce overall amount of suffering (fewer people w health problems)

• Save money (treating genetic disorders is very expensive)

• implies people with genetic disorders are undesirable

• Future screening for other traits (eye / hair colour)