Two research centres announced on Monday, June 26 that they have mapped the human genetic code.
Researchers at the Human Genome Project and Celera Genomics Inc. say they have sketched a blueprint of the genome, a sort of database of the body's genes. The researchers used supercomputers to identify and sort the 3 billion bits of DNA contained in every human cell and to identify the tens of thousands of genes that make up the body's inherited code.
The two research centres say the breakthrough could lead to medical treatment based on an individual's genetic makeup and to the development of new drugs and therapies. Scientists say the mapping of the code could help find cures for inherited diseases or stamp out genetically linked health problems altogether. Some fear that this would cause a new era of genetic discrimination or "designer" babies.
The Human Genome Project is a group of more than 1,100 scientists at genetic centres and labs in the United States, Great Britain, France, Germany, China and Japan. The project began 10 years ago and is financed by the National Institutes of Health in the United States and the Wellcome Trust, a philanthropic institution in London. Celera Genomics, based in Rockville, Md., is a private company that has worked separately from but simultaneously with the Human Genome Project. The project was intended to take 15 years to complete but advances in technology allowed completion 5 years ahead of schedule.
Implications of the Genome Project on Human Health and Disease
When the Human Genome Project began in 1990, scientists had discovered fewer than 100 human disease genes. Today, more than 1,400 disease genes have been identified.
For the scientists seeking to understand the role of genetics in human health and disease, the Human Genome Project's finished sequence represents a significant advance over the "working draft" that was announced in June 2000. The working draft covered 90 percent of the gene-containing part of the sequence, 28 percent of which had reached finished form, and contained about 150,000 gaps. The finished version of the human genome now contains 99 percent of the gene-containing sequence, with the missing parts essentially contained in less than 400 defined gaps.
These remaining gaps represent regions of DNA in the genome with unusual structures that cannot be reliably sequenced with current technology. These regions, however, appear to contain very few genes. Closing these gaps will require individual research projects and new technologies, rather than industrial-scale efforts of the Human Genome Project.
