The Human Genome Project was a 13-year international project organized by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health. This application was developed to verify what base pairs DNA was made out of, accurately identify them, and be able to map the estimated 20,000 – 25,000 genes located within human beings. The major challenges to understanding the results of this research are: how precise is the HGP mapping genes, and if mutated genes were an obstacle for scientists to map or did scientists even map mutated genes. The major scientific achievements are in the hope that researchers will able to determine the exact sequence of genes, since everyone has a different string, and potentially tailor such things as medical treatment or nutritional needs to individuals. The people who donated his or her DNA for the HGP were counted as a whole, and not individually. The HGP is still in progress because scientists hope to continue advancing research on the goals they’ve already achieved. |
Juan Enriquez, founding director of the Life Sciences Project at Harvard Business school. |
