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Genomics 101
Many readers have asked me to explain exactly what is the Human Genome Project, and its implications. I will try -- in the simplest terms possible -- to explain why the Human Genome Project is the greatest venture in history.
Begun in 1990, the U.S. Human Genome Project is a 13-year effort coordinated by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health. The project originally was planned to last 15 years, but technological advances have accelerated the completion date to 2003. The goals of HGP are as follows:
- Identify all the estimated 80,000-100,000 genes in human DNA
- Determine the sequences of the 3 billion chemical bases that make up human DNA
- Store this information in computer databases
- Develop tools for data analysis
- Develop gene therapy drugs based on that analysis
It sounds really technical, but in a nutshell, it is nothing less than a glimpse into the roots of all life.
As a result, technology and resources promoted by the Human Genome Project are starting to have profound impacts on biomedical research.
Increasingly detailed genome maps have aided researchers seeking genes associated with dozens of genetic conditions, including myotonic dystrophy, fragile X syndrome, neurofibromatosis types 1 and 2, inherited colon cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and familial breast cancer.
It really is a new era
On the horizon is a new era of molecular medicine characterized less by treating symptoms and more by looking to the most fundamental causes of disease.
Rapid and more specific diagnostic tests will make possible earlier treatment of countless diseases.
Medical researchers also will be able to devise novel therapeutic regimens based on new classes of drugs, immunotherapy techniques, avoidance of environmental conditions that may trigger disease, and possible augmentation or even replacement of defective genes through gene therapy.
To help achieve these goals, researchers also are studying the genetic makeup of several nonhuman organisms. These include the common human gut bacterium E-coli, the fruit fly, and the laboratory mouse.
What's a genome?
A genome is all the DNA in an organism, including its genes. Genes carry information for making all the proteins required by all organisms. These proteins determine, among other things, how the organism looks, how well its body metabolizes food or fights infection, and sometimes even how it behaves.
I know it sounds like a high school science class, but it is revolutionary. Perhaps the greatest revolution ever.
DNA is made up of four similar chemicals (called bases and abbreviated A, T, C, and G) that are repeated millions or billions of times throughout a genome. The human genome, for example, has 3 billion pairs of bases.
The particular order of As, Ts, Cs, and Gs is extremely important. The order underlies all of life's diversity, even dictating whether an organism is human or another species such as yeast, rice, or fruit fly, all of which have their own genomes.
Because all organisms are related through similarities in DNA sequences, insights gained from nonhuman genomes often lead to new knowledge about human biology.
Live longer, healthier, and wealthier
Rapid progress in genome science and a glimpse into its potential applications have spurred observers to predict that biology will be the foremost science of the 21st century.
The potential for commercial development of genomics research presents U.S. industry with a wealth of opportunities, and sales of DNA-based products and technologies in the biotechnology industry are projected to exceed US$45 billion by 2009.
You're reading that correctly -- US$45 billion within 10 years. This will spawn a bull market like no other -- and will turn small, unknown genomics companies into mammoth companies on a par with Microsoft and Cisco.
Please read on...
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