Chapter 11 - The Human Genome

Abstract

The human genome is the entire genetic code of three billion letters required to create a human being. The Human Genome Project (HGP) was funded at a cost of $3 billion for what was projected to be a 15-year research effort. In June 2000, with great public fanfare, came the announcement that the human genome had been sequenced. The outcomes of the human genome projects have in them both good and bad news. The good is that there has been amazing development of more rapid and less expensive DNA sequencing techniques. More good news is that sequencing human genomes has provided answers to some important biological question, such as: how does the modern human genome compare to ancient humans, such as Neanderthals, and what is the variation in the DNA sequence of different modern humans? The main disappointment is that at present, 16 years after the sequence of the first human genome was announced, no major breakthrough in the prevention or treatment of disease has resulted from DNA sequence data. One problem is that interpreting the meaning of DNA sequence data has been more complicated than anticipated.