HGP (Human Genome Project)

       The HGP or Human Genome Project was a project done by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institute of Health from 1990 to 2003.

Goals of the Project

•  Identify all 20,000-25,000 genes in the human DNA

           -During the preliminary research, there were less genes identified than expected so that part of the research still continues today.

•  Improve tools for data analysis  

           -The tools for data analysis today are not as good as they potentially could be so one of the goals of the project was to improve upon the tools.

• Store the information that they got from the project in a database            

• Transfer related technologies to the private sector

•  Address the Ethical, Legal, and Social issues that may arise from the project.

                                                Significance

         The significance of HGP is that the research may one day lead to cures for many diseases that are incurable today.  The project also helps us to have a better grasp on genetics. Having a grasp on genetics is important to genetic engineering because the more you know about something, the more you can do with it.