The Human Genome Project Essay -- Genetics Science Papers

The Human Genome Project The Human Genome Project is one of the most widely discussed topics in genetics today. The United States human genome project began in 1990, when the $3 billion dollar project to map 3 billion DNA base pairs was announced.(4) When the initial funding was provided, it was anticipated that the project would require 15 years to complete and the target date for completion was 2005.(8) Recent technological advances have shortened that time period, and it is now estimated that the program will be complete by 2003.(1) The program now has been expanded to an international effort involving research facilities in France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. There are also several private companies that are sequencing the genome also. The majority of the funding for the United States human genome project has come from the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Biological and Environmental Research and the National Institute of Health (NIH). The objective of the project is t o create a DNA sequence library for a representative sample of the human genome. Such a reference library would prove to be priceless from a research standpoint, as well as an applied perspective. This library will aid in the identification of specific mutations which cause a distinct disorder or disease. If the normal base pair can be inserted in place of the abnormal one, gene therapy could become a reality. Along with this new technology comes several problems, both technical and ethical. The ethical issues play a major role in the use and possible implications of this technology. A special committee was formed to evaluate these ethical issues and to make recommendations regarding them. This committee was given the tit... ... http://www.ornl.gov/hgmis/publicat/hgn/v10n1/04bacend.html 5. U.S. Dept. of Energy. Human Genome News. "Five years of Progress in the Human Genome Project", Obtained from the WWW 09/07/99: 12/95: http://www.ornl.gov/TechResources/Human_Genome/publicat/hgn/v7n3/04progre.html 6. UNESCO. The Gene Letter. "UNESCO Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights, July 1997", Obtained from the WWW 09/07/99:07/99: http://www.geneletter.org/0398/UNESCO.htm 7. U.S. Dept. of Energy. Human Genome Project: "Ethical, Legal and Social Issues (ELSI) of the Human Genome Project", Obtained from the WWW 08/31/99: 08/31/99: http://www.ornl.gov/TechResources/HumanGenome/resource/elsi.html 8. U.S. Dept. of Energy. Human Genome News. "U.S. HGP on Fast Track for Early Completion", Obtained from the WWW 8/31/99:2/1/99: http://www.ornl.gov/hgmis/publicat/hgn/v10n1/01goals.html