UPSC preliminary MCQ'S 2019 Part 14

Which of the following statements is correct in context with the 'Pharmacogenomics'?

a) It helps in analyzing how drugs affects an individual's genes.

b) It is the science which explains how drugs are manufactured by analyzing an individual's

genes.

c) None is correct

d) It helps in analyzing how genetic makeup affects an individual's response to drugs.

Correct Answer: D

Explanation

Pharmacogenomics is the study of how genes affect a person's response to drugs. This relatively

new field combines pharmacology (the science of drugs) and genomics (the study of genes and

their functions) to develop effective, safe medications and doses that will be tailored to a

person's genetic makeup.

Which of the following statements is correct in context with the 'Biofortification'?

a) It is the process by which the nutritional quality of food crops is improved through

agronomic practices

b) It is the process by which the disease resistant capacity of food crops is improved through

special pesticides.

c) It is the process by which the disease resistant capacity of industrial crops is improved

through agronomic practices.

d) None is correct

Correct Answer: A

Explanation

Biofortification: Biofortification is the process by which the nutritional quality of food crops is

improved through agronomic practices. Biofortification differs from conventional fortification in

that biofortification aims to increase nutrient levels in crops during plant growth rather than

through manual means during processing of the crops.

Consider the following statements regarding the 'Germ Line' editing:

1. It refers to the egg and sperm, which combine to form an embryo.

2. It is a type of genome- editing technology.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Exam Title : Email :

Civilsdaily

a) 1 only

b) Neither 1 nor 2

c) Both 1 and 2

d) 2 only

Correct Answer: C

Explanation

It was in news because the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in association with the

Department of Biotechnology recently released the revised Draft Guidelines for Stem Cell

Research, 2017 for comments.

Germ Line editing:

“Germ line” refers to the egg and sperm, which combine to form an embryo.

Germline editing is a genome- editing technology that can, in principle, be developed to make

specific and targeted genetic alterations in embryos, which will be carried by all the cells of a

resulting child and passed on to his/her offspring, a part of the human gene pool.

By editing the DNA of egg and sperm or the embryo itself, it could be possible to correct

disease genes and pass those genetic fixes on to future generations.

There are various ethical and technical issues involved with germline editing.

It can create unforeseen changes in the genome which are undesirable.

It has also been ethically questioned whether editing gene to create babies that parents desires

would make them more like commodities.