Issues of the Human Genome Project

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Issues of the Human Genome Project

The history of the human race has been filled with curiosity and discovery about our abilities and limitations. As an egotistical creature with a seemingly unstoppable desire for new accomplishments, we attempt feats with emotion and tenacity. People worldwide raced to be the first to discover the secrets and the ability of flight. Enormous amounts of monies were spent on sending people into space and the race to land on the moon. With the rapid growth of scientific knowledge and experimental methods, humans have begun to unravel and challenge another mystery, the discovery of the entire genetic make-up of the human body.

This endeavor, the Human Genome Project (HGP), has created hopes and expectations about better health care. It has also brought forth serious social issues. To understand the potential positive and negative issues, we must first understand the history and technical aspects of the HGP.

History of the Human Genome Project

The HGP has an ultimate goal of identifying and locating the positions of all genes in the human body. A researcher named Renato Dulbecco first suggested the idea of such a project while the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) was also considering the same project because issues related to radiation and chemical exposure were being raised. Military and civilian populations were being exposed to radiation and possible carcinogenic chemicals through atomic testing, the use of Agent Orange in Vietnam, and possible nuclear power facility accidents. Genetic knowledge was needed to determine the resiliency of the human genome (1).

Worldwide discussion about a HGP began in 1985. In 1986, the DOE announced its' Human Genome Initiative which emphasized the development of resources and technologies for genome mapping, sequencing, computation, and infrastructure support that would lead to the entire human genome map (3). United States involvement began in October 1990 and was coordinated by the DOE and the National Institute of Health (NIH). With an estimated cost of 3 billion dollars, sources of funding also include the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). Because of the involvement of the NIH, DOE, and NSF who receive U.S. Congressional funding, the HGP is partly funded through federal tax dollars (1). Expected to last 15 years, technological advancements have accelerated the expected date of completion to the year 2003. This completion date would coincide with the 50th anniversary of Watson and Crick's description of the structure of DNA molecule (3).

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