The Human Genome Project was the largest biological project ever undertaken. The project goals were to:

• Identify variations in the human genetic code that cause disease
• Determine how individual genes play a role in health and disease
• Analyze the genetic codes of model organisms to help find human genes
• Develop efficient technology to sequence DNA
• Develop methods to collect, analyze, and store genomic information
• Make the human DNA sequence available to the scientific community and the public
• Train scientists for genomic research and analysis
• Examine and propose solutions regarding ethical, legal, and social implications of genomic research

The results have changed the way we understand disease and the various life processes involved in human existence. We are living in the most exciting time in medicine. In June 2000, scientists triumphantly announced they had deciphered the human genome, the blueprint for human life.

An essentially complete finished blueprint with overall accuracy of roughly 99.99 percent now exists, with the publication of scientific papers detailing each of the chromosomes completed in 2006.

Using this as a foundation, the HGSC is embarking on an exciting plan of functional mutation discovery on a large scale, with the goal of characterizing less frequent genetic differences between humans.

What are the benefits of genome research?