Why Is the Genome Project Happening?

Why is the Genome Project happening? The Genome Project is happening because the research will allow scientists to have a better understanding of genes and DNA. This will allow for many positive effects, including perhaps providing further insight into cures for genetic diseases.

The Genome Project, which was started in 1990, is happening for many reasons- but the underlying reason is to advance scientific research by mapping the genes of the human body. By mapping the genes, science will be able to:

• Analyze the information these genes may hold, and unlock the benefits they can give to us
• Find the genes underlying diseases to allow us to predict them and treat them before they become a problem
• Give us new ideas for how to treat diseases which have appeared in the body

Goals and Status of the Genome Project

The main goal of the Project, to map out the 25,000 genes that make up the human body, was an outstandingly large undertaking, and while it began in the hands of American scientists, it didn’t take long for scientists all over the world to contribute information and assistance.

• As of 2010, the Genome Project has reached a stage where the 25,000 genomes that make up the human body have officially been mapped.
• The Project is expected to solve a number of major scientific puzzles, primarily in the field of medicine and the fighting of diseases.

Understanding the Importance of the Genome Project

So, why is the Genome Project important and why do we need to map the genomes of the human body?

• The human genome consists of 24 separate chromosomes; the DNA within the chromosomes is what makes up the human cells.
• While we already have a fairly sophisticated understanding of DNA itself, the idea of the Genome Project is to allow us to take a look at genomes as a whole.
• Studying the microscopic details of a single cell is one type of research, but knowing how all 25,000 cells operate in conjunction with one another is a huge advancement.

What We Hope to Achieve with the Genome Project

Part of understanding why the Genome project is happening involves also understanding what is hoped to be achieved by the project.

• Analyzing the sequence of DNA in human genomes will give scientists now and in the future a great deal of assistance in solving any number of problems.
• The fundamental understanding of how the human system functions on a biological level is key.
• Already the genome sequencing of the Project has led to the pinpointing of multiple genes that are responsible for such diseases as breast cancer and muscle disease.
• The mapping of genomes will also allow us to gain a greater understanding of organisms that may invade the human body, such as the living organism of a bacteria or virus itself.
• Understanding where these attack the human system, and any precursors of the attack, will assist in treating, diagnosing, and preventing diseases and any number of possible disadvantages that can affect human life.

The study of genomes will ideally eventually lead to a state in which we can identify people on a basic level, much as we use DNA today, by their gene sequences. Gene sequencing can outline everything from a person’s hair color to hereditary diseases the person may be carrying and can possibly pass on to a child.

The wealth of information inside human genes is literally staggering, and the Genome Project is a major step in unlocking that information to improve human life.