Albinism
For my research project I have chosen the genetic disease albinism. There are a few reasons why I chose albinism as my topic. The number one reason would be in 8th grade when I was expelled from Toll ,they sent me to Rosemont ,and in my first period class I had a girl who was an albino, and although I have not seen her for a year ,but I am still curious as to what the causes of albinism are. Back then my mom explained it to me by saying that is how there skin is ,they are born like that which is a fine answer, but now as I am older by 2 years I wonder why they are really like that. Another reason I am curious about albinism is what is the chance of my kids getting that disease. I often wondered if there was any chance that my kids could possibly be born with it. I know now that it sounds a little bit stupid ,but I would sometimes worry that I wouldn’t be able to take my children to the beach. I also used to wonder whether or not the girl in my first period class could see the same way I could, since his eyes looked so different from mine. The most obvious characteristic of a albino is their pale skin. Albino skin is white in appearance. Similarly, albino hair is also very pale, appearing closer to white . . .
We know where they are, but we are still unable to prevent or repair many of them with any great rate of success. Similar to the skin, albino eyes also lack color. Albinism is an autosomal recessive disorder. The gene associated with albinism is called OCA1. Albinism occurs when something causes the OCA1 gene to function improperly. I think that once our scientists better understand the human genome and its ins and outs, the cures for genetic diseases like albinism will follow shortly after. Approximately 1 in 17,000 people has one of the types of albinism,which amounts to 18,000 people in the United States. People with albinism also sometimes demonstrate back and forth movement of the eyes called nystagmus. All the children of two affected homozygous affected parents are also affected. This improper function disrupts the production of tyrosinase. My knowledge of this disorder has come a long way since my curiosity about the girl in my first period class. Because albinism is not carried on the sex chromosomes, it is expressed equally in both males and females, and either parent can transmit the disorder. The mutations that cause albinism remains. Cases of extreme nearsightedness or farsightedness that cannot be completely corrected with eyeglasses are also common. Obviously my fear that I would catch the disease from her is long gone, but I wish I could say the same for some other more realistic fears.
Common topics in this essay:
, DOPA DOPA, OCA TYR, OCA1 OCA1, United Albinism, period class, girl period class, people albinism, girl period, skin albino, chance kids, causes albinism, albinism affects, lack color, |
Acceptance Essays
