The Human Genome Project (HGP)

 

Started in 1990, the Human Genome Project's main goal was to map out all the genes in the human genome and also to sequence all of the DNA bases in the genome. This international project encompassed research centers and universities in the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, France, Germany, and China. The project was completed in 2003 when about 3 Billion base pairs of DNA in the genome had been sequenced. Around 20,500 genes were discovered in the genome. Some heterochromatic regions of the genome still remain unsequenced. The HGP created a platform for many new technologies that improved DNA sequencing, and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). The HGP also revolutionized medicine as it created a new portal to discovering mechanisms behind certain genetic diseases and was a pioneering step toward developing a cure for those diseases. Along with its benefits, the HGP also opened a new can of worms in genetic discrimination and cloning.