Human Genome Project

1 Pages 215 Words

The Human Genome Project was formally introduced 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 rapid technological advances have accelerated the expected completion date to 2003.

According to ORNL.com, Project goals are to:
identify all the approximate 30,000 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.

Societal Concerns

One concern among American citizens is the idea of fairness in the use of genetic information by insurers, employers, courts, schools, adoption agencies, and the military, among others. People are curious how and who determines access to genetic information and how it will be used. There are also questions in privacy and confidentiality. Who will take presedence over the information. There are concerns with the psychological inpact on genetic engineering and reproductive issues. Ethical, philosophical, and health risks are all important concerns. Some feel that this technology may exploit genetics and commercialize products....