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Human Genome Project Newsroom
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Draft Sequence Analysis Information
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• Genomics
and Its Impact on Medicine and Society: A 2001 Primer
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Genome Project Fact Sheet
• DNA
Sequencing Process
• Genomes
to Life Roadmap (Post-HGP research)
• Your Genes,
Your Choices (ELSI document)
• Vital
Legacy (50 yrs of DOE BER Research)
• Microbial
Genome Program Report
Related
Topics
• Genomic Medicine
• Pharmacogenomics
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Social Issues
• Genetically Modified
Foods and Organisms
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and Legislation
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(Forensics)
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Issues
• DNA in the Courtroom
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HGP
Background Information
• History
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• Budget
• Why is DOE involved?
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are involved?
• How has
HGP catalyzed biotechnology industry?
• Whose genome
is being studied?
• Anticipated
Benefits of Genome Research
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Genome News
Archives
DOE
and the HGP
• Fact Sheet
about DOE's involvement in the Human Genome Project
• DOE
investments that contributed to the success of the Human Genome Project
•Website of the
DOE Human Genome Program
Post
HGP Information
• Images
• Genomes to Life
• What we still
don't know
Spin-off
Research Programs
• DOE Genomes to Life Program
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Project
• Environmental Genome
Project
• Cancer Genome Anatomy
Project
• SNP Consortium
Ethical,
Legal, and Social Issues Online Publications
• Judicature:
Genes and Justice
• ELSI Retrospective
of DOE HGP ELSI Research
• Minorities
and Genomics Meeting Proceedings
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Media
Releases
•Announcements on the First Analysis of Genome
Sequence (February 12, 2001)
• Completion of the First Survey
of the Entire Human Genome (June 26, 2000)
• DOE completes working drafts
of human chromosomes 5, 16, and 19 (April 13, 2000)
• Background
handout on chr. 5, 16, 19 (April 2000)
• Genome sequence of
fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is completed (April 2000)
• US HGP
reaches 2 billionth base --2/3 of genome is complete (March 2000)
• Human chromosome
22 completed: first human chromosome to be sequenced (December 1999)
• HGP
leaders confirm accelerated timetable for draft sequence (October
1999)
Speeches
and Testimony
• U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce
Hearing on Potential
for Discrimination in Health Insurance Based on Predictive Genetic Tests,
July 11, 2001
• Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Hearing
on
Genetic Information in the Workplace, July 20, 2000
• U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Hearing on Issues
Raised by Human Cloning Research March 28, 2001 (PDF)
|
What is
the Human Genome Project?
Begun formally in 1990, the U.S. Human Genome Project is a 13-year effort coordinated
by the US Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health. The project
originally was planned to last 15 years, but rapid technological advances have
accelerated the expected completion date to 2003. Project goals
are to
- identify all the approximately 30,000-35,000 genes in human DNA,
- determine the sequences of the 3 billion chemical bases that make
up human DNA,
- store this information in databases,
- develop faster, more efficient sequencing technologies,
- develop tools for data analysis, and
- address the ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI) that may arise
from the project.
To help achieve these goals, researchers also are studying the genetic makeup
of several nonhuman organisms. These include the common human gut bacterium Escherichia
coli, the fruit fly, and the laboratory mouse. Several types of genome maps
have already been completed, and a working draft of the entire human genome sequence
was announced in June 2000, with analyses
published in February 2001.
A unique aspect of the US Human Genome Project is that it is the first large
scientific undertaking to address the ELSI implications that may arise from
the project.
Another important feature of the project is the federal government's long-standing
dedication to the transfer of technology to the private sector. By licensing
technologies to private companies and awarding grants for innovative research,
the project is catalyzing the multibillion-dollar US biotechnology industry
and fostering the development of new medical
applications.
Quick Facts
• Estimated
sizes of human chromosomes
• Comparative genome
sizes of humans and other organisms
• Four chemical bases present in DNA: adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C),
and guanine (G)
• Number of chromosomes in the human: 23 pairs of chromosomes (females have
2 copies of chromosomes 1 through 22 + 2 copies of the X chromosome; males have
2 copies of chromosomes 1 through 22 + one X and one Y chromosome)
• Estimated number of genes in the human genome: ~30,000-35,000
• Number of basepairs in the human genome: 3 billion
• US HGP officially began in 1990; see timeline
• US HGP Joint Leaders: Ari Patrinos (DOE HGP) and Francis Collins (NIH NHGRI)
• HGP Research areas: sequencing,
mapping, instrumentation,
bioinformatics,
functional genomics,
ELSI (ethical, legal,
and social issues)
For more specific information, search this site:
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