preview

The Human Genome Project?

Better Essays

The Human Genome Project

"Today we are learning the language in which God created life . . . humankind is on the verge of gaining immense new power to heal. Genome science will have a real impact on all our lives, and even more on the lives of our children. It will revolutionise the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of most, if not all, human diseases."
- Bill Clinton, June 2002.

The Human Genome Project came into existence in the late 1980 's as scientist from around the world aimed to map where every human gene is found on our chromosomes. The Project was a great success as scientists were successful, but now in order to extend the project, scientists are trying to work out what each gene codes for. This information would be vital as it could help ascertain how a particular gene might be damaged or how mutations on some genes can lead to illness or disorders. Using such information, faulty genes could be easily replaced.

The idea of undertaking a coordinated study of the human genome arose from a series of scientific conferences held between 1985 and 1987.
The project got underway in 1990 in the United States and one of the first directors of the project was American scientist, James Watson - who was also in 1962 - along with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins- awarded the Nobel Prize Award for the discovery of the structure of

DNA.
The DNA that is

Get Access