The Human Genome Project and Patenting DNA Essay - 1592 Words

The Human Genome Project: Patenting DNA The Human Genome Project is a global initiative to map the approximately 100,000 genes present in the genome of humans. Planning for the project was started in 1989 with a proposal submitted by the Office of Technology Assessment and the National Research Council. In 1990, the actual project began under the joint leadership of the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Energy. The goals of the project are as follows: Mapping and sequencing the human genome Mapping and sequencing the genomes of model organisms Data collection and distribution Ethical, legal, and social consideration Research training Technology development Technology transfer Originally, research†¦show more content†¦The downside of this genome mania is high expectations. Current market values of life science companies are very high. Companies are faced with a lot of pressure from shareholders to provide new blockbuster therapies that will net those investors large profits. The problem with this mentality is that research takes a lot of time and a lot of money (2). The fear of some researchers is that industry will not be open with the results of their genome research, sequestering away nucleic acid sequences in private databases, or tying up huge amounts of information in pending patents. This goes against the original aim of the project which was to place all information gathered in free, publicly accessible databases. Recent developments in the Human Genome Project only heightened these fears. On May 9, 1998, Crag Venter, president of The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR), announced his company was teaming up with pharmaceutical giant Perkin-Elmer to sequence the human genome in just three years (3). This news took the genetics community by storm. The original plan called for a single, cohesive strategy to thoroughly map the human genome in a linear method. The new Perkin-Elmer/TIGR partnership planned to sequence the genome with a new method called whole genome shotgun sequencing. By this method, DNA would be chopped up, sequenced all at once, and supercomputers would be used to assemble theShow MoreRelatedThe Human Genome Project ( Hgp )1000 Words   |  4 PagesGenetic Engineering The Human Genome Project (HGP) completely mapped human DNA for the first time in April, 2003. In addition, the HGP revealed that there are probably about 20,500 human genes, which is significantly fewer than originally predicted. This ultimate product of the HGP has given the world a resource of detailed information about the structure, organization and function of the complete set of human genes. 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Francis Collins, leader of the Human Genome Project, represents traditional science as his program is dedicated to the enhancement of knowledge for the common good, recognitionRead MoreThe Code Of Life And The Human Genome2445 Words   |  10 Pagesmake scientifically is to look at our own human genome, or instruction book if you will, and try to figure out what it is telling us, what it reads. This began happening in the late 1990s, to 2000s, when people began diving deeper into what DNA really tells us. In a sense, we have found the key to unlock, or crack, the code of life, and this is also the key to diagnosing and curing genetically transmitted diseases. This key is what the Human Genome Project searched to find, and what â€Å"Cracking theRead More Bioinformatics - Solving Biological Problems Using DNA and Amino Acid Sequences3064 Words   |  13 PagesBioinformatics - Solving Biological Problems Using DNA and Amino Acid Sequences 1. Introduction In the wake of Genomic revolution, biology that used to be a lab-based science has transformed to embrace Information science. Human Genome Project is a 13-year project focusing on identifying approximately 30,000 genes in human DNA. The information found is stored in databases, analyzed and used for different purposes like simplifying diagnosis of disease, earlier detection of genetic predispositionRead MoreThe Ethical Implications of the Human Genome Project and its Parallel Efforts3239 Words   |  13 PagesThe human genome consists of all the genes that make up the master blue print for building a human being. There are about one hundred thousand genes concealed inside of the nucleus of each cell. The genes are tangled inside of an elongated genetic structure that is called the chromosome. Mapping and eventually decoding the human genome will enable us to provide strategies to diagnose and possibly prevent different genetic diseases, and disorders. Eventually, we may ev en unravel the mysteries of