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Essay Archive - The Cystic Fibrosis Gene
The Cystic Fibrosis Gene
Cystic fibrosis is an inherited autosomal recessive disease that exerts its
main effects on the digestive system and the lungs. This disease is the
most common genetic disorder among Caucasians. Cystic fibrosis affects
about one in 2,500 people, with one in twenty five being a heterozygote.
With the use of antibiotics, the life span of a person afflicted with CF
can be extended up to thirty years however, most die before the age of
thirteen.1 Since so many people are affected by this disease, it's no
wonder that CF was the first human genetic disease to be cloned by
geneticists. In this p....
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