Human Genome Project

The human genome project (hgp) was a multinational, 13 year long project aimed at identifying the genes within the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) within human cells, together with related technical issues. The goals of the project were to identify and specify the 20,000–25,000 genes in human DNA, determine the sequence of the approximately three billion chemical base pairs within that DNA, and find a way of storing this information in a suitable database for which appropriate analytical and data transfer tools are made available. The HGP also aimed to address the numerous ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI) that were brought about by the project and by the management and ownership of its findings. The U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health in ...