The Human Genome - Assignment Example

The Human Genome Project The Human Genome Project in the United s began in 1990 and represented a 13 year coordinated plan between the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institute of Health in an effort to map out the human DNA for scientific purposes. The primary objectives of the program included the mandate to (2011): identify all the approximately 20,000-25,000 genes in human DNA, determine the sequences of the 3 billion chemical base pairs that make up human DNA, store this information in databases, improve tools for data analysis, transfer related technologies to the private sector, and address the ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI) that may arise from the project.

The experiments required the participation of various public and private organizations such as the Department of Energy, Chromosome 21 Consortium, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Stanford Genome Technology Center, Baylor College of Medicine, and the Washington University School of Medicine. Other countries and their respective genome research departments involved in the project include The Australian Genome Research Facility, Beijing Genomics Institute, Japan Science and Technology Corporation Sequencing Projects, and other companies located in France, Germany, and other countries sich as Mexico, Spain, and others across the globe.

Through this international collaboration the following milestones were achieved by the project in record time ( 2008): Human Genome Project Goals and Completion DatesAreaHGP GoalStandard AchievedDate AchievedGenetic Map 2- to 5-cM resolution map (600 – 1,500 markers)1-cM resolution map (3,000 markers) September 1994Physical Map30,000 STSs 52,000 STSs October 1998DNA Sequence 95% of gene-containing part of human sequence finished to 99.99% accuracy99% of gene-containing part of human sequence finished to 99.

99% accuracy April 2003Capacity and Cost of Finished SequenceSequence 500 Mb/year at < $0.25 per finished baseSequence >1,400Mb/year at