Genomics is the study of genes, their structure and function. In 1990, the U.S. Department of
Energy and the National Institutes of Health began the Human Genome Project. The goals of this
project were to determine the sequences of the 3 billion nitrogen base pairs in DNA, to identify
the 30,000 genes in human DNA and to store this information in a database that would be available to researchers. In September 1999, the Celera corporation entered the race to map the
human genome. By April 2000, Celera scientists completed the sequencing of the nitrogen bases and began the mapping phase of genes, which was completed by the end of 2000. The Human Genome Project completed its work in April 2003, about 50 years after Watson and Crick’s discovery of the structure of DNA. The Human Genome Project is important because it will lead to increased understanding of the role of genetics in the maintenance of health and the combat of disease. We hope to enhance our knowledge of gene function and to discover new methods of diagnosing disease. As a result of the Human Genome Project, new drugs and therapeutic measures for the treatment of disease will be developed. The Human Genome Project has produced a new area of genetics called genomics.
Energy and the National Institutes of Health began the Human Genome Project. The goals of this
project were to determine the sequences of the 3 billion nitrogen base pairs in DNA, to identify
the 30,000 genes in human DNA and to store this information in a database that would be available to researchers. In September 1999, the Celera corporation entered the race to map the
human genome. By April 2000, Celera scientists completed the sequencing of the nitrogen bases and began the mapping phase of genes, which was completed by the end of 2000. The Human Genome Project completed its work in April 2003, about 50 years after Watson and Crick’s discovery of the structure of DNA. The Human Genome Project is important because it will lead to increased understanding of the role of genetics in the maintenance of health and the combat of disease. We hope to enhance our knowledge of gene function and to discover new methods of diagnosing disease. As a result of the Human Genome Project, new drugs and therapeutic measures for the treatment of disease will be developed. The Human Genome Project has produced a new area of genetics called genomics.
