Human Genome Project

The Human Genome Project (HGP) is an international scientific research project with the goal of determining the sequence of nucleotide base pairs that make up human DNA, and of identifying and mapping all of the genes of the human genome from both a physical and a functional standpoint. It remains the world's largest collaborative biological project.

Pronunciation

Hyoo-mən Jē-nōm Prŏj-ĕkt

Etymology

The term "genome" is a combination of the words "gene" and "chromosome", coined by Hans Winkler in 1920. The term "project" is derived from the Latin "projectum", meaning "something thrown forth".

Related Terms

Genome: The complete set of genes or genetic material present in a cell or organism.
DNA: Deoxyribonucleic acid, a self-replicating material which is present in nearly all living organisms as the main constituent of chromosomes. It is the carrier of genetic information.
Gene: A unit of heredity which is transferred from a parent to offspring and is held to determine some characteristic of the offspring.
Nucleotide: Organic molecules that serve as the monomers, or subunits, of nucleic acids like DNA and RNA.
Base Pair: A pair of complementary bases in a double-stranded nucleic acid molecule, consisting of a purine in one strand linked by hydrogen bonds to a pyrimidine in the other.
Chromosome: A thread-like structure of nucleic acids and protein found in the nucleus of most living cells, carrying genetic information in the form of genes.

History

The Human Genome Project was formally launched in 1990 by the US Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health, and was completed in 2003.

Goals

The main goals of the Human Genome Project were to provide a complete and accurate sequence of the 3 billion DNA base pairs that make up the human genome and to find all of the estimated 20,000 to 25,000 human genes.

Impact

The Human Genome Project has transformed biological science and has had major impacts on medicine, biotechnology, forensics and other fields.

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Human Genome Project