Completed in 2003, the Human Genome Project

(HGP) was a 13-year project coordinated by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health. During the early years of the HGP, the Wellcome Trust (U.K.) became a major partner; additional contributions came from Japan, France, Germany, China, and others.

 Project goals were to

identify all the approximately 20,000-25,000 genes in

human DNA, determine the sequences of the 3 billion chemical base pairs that make up human DNA, store this information in databases, improve tools for data analysis, transfer related technologies to the private sector, and address the ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI) that may arise from the project.

 One of the potential benefits is in the field of

molecular medicine. The benefits in this field could include better diagnosis of disease, early detection of certain diseases, and gene therapy and control systems for drugs (1). In the future there should be new treatments in molecular medicine that don't treat the symptoms but look at the causes of the problem at hand.

 Another field that may reap the benefits of the HGP is

the field of microbial genomics. This field may be able to find new energy sources, through the sequencing of a bacterial genome. This could lead to discoveries that are useful in energy production, toxic waste reduction, and industrial processing

 The HGP can also be very useful for the understanding

of human evolution and human migration. It may help lead scientists to find out how humans have evolved and how humans are evolving today. It will also help to understand the common biology that we share with all life on earth. Comparing our genome with others may help to lead to associations of diseases with certain traits.

 The general public and people in the HGP have shown

a lot of concern over the ethical issues involved with the Human Genome Project. Because of this concern the Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health have put 3 to 5% of their annual budget for the HGP to studying the ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI) involved in the project

 he use of sequencing will make a profound impact on

genetic screening of individuals. Medical professionals will be able to look at a person's genome and be able to tell many things about a person just by looking at the person's genes. This new technology will bring a number of issues such as the fairness in the use of genetic information.

 The privacy and confidentiality of genetic information

could also lead to problems. For certain reasons, many people would want for no one to see what their genetic makeup is. There would also be concerns of psychological problems associated with knowing your own genetic makeup. If someone were to find out they have a good chance of developing a rare disease it would most likely drastically change their thinking on life

 Another issue that has risen is the use of gene therapy

to treat disease. The use of a person's genome to tell if a person carries a genetic disease will help in the treatment of these diseases. In gene therapy a faulty or infected gene is replaced with a normal gene, so the individual does not display the trait that they were naturally born with. Many people feel that this is wrong because we are more or less taking over the course of nature, and they feel that this is not the natural way

 There are also clinical issues that need to be overseen

with the HGP. When the project is finished, many new techniques will need to be taught to our health service people. There will also be a need to educate patients and the general public as to what is happening in these procedures. There will need to be genetic counseling for people undergoing genetic testing. Health care providers will need to know how to tell people the ramifications that go along with the testing that they will be undergoing.

 The HGP will also cause concerns over

commercialization of the technology. If there are only a few agencies that are working on the project, who will get the rights to the technology. The major concerns will most likely be over the patents and copyrights of the technology.