The Human Genome Project

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The Human Genome Project

The Human Genome Project (HGP) is an international research effort to characterise the genomes of human and selected model organisms through complete mapping and sequencing of their DNA. This massive research project has key aims that include the development of technologies for genomic analysis, to examine the ethical, legal and social implications of human genetics research, and to train scientists who will be able to utilise the tools and resources developed through the HGP and ultimately to pursue biological studies that will improve human health.

Looking now in more detail at the actual program itself, the HGP is an international research project initially run by the Department of Energy, the National Institutes of Health and the Government in the United States, designed to construct detailed genetic and physical maps of the human genome, to determine the complete nucleotide sequence of human DNA, to localise the estimated 50,000-100,000 genes within the human genome, and to perform similar analyses on the genomes of several other organisms used extensively in research labs as model systems. The scientific products of the HGP will comprise a resource of detailed information about the structure, organisation and function of human