The Human Genome Project is a program that began in 1990 with the goal of fully sequencing human DNA. Its completion was announced April 14, 2003. The human genome is the set of genetic information carried by the DNA in 23 pairs of human chromosomes. It covers all human genetic information, including that of 20,000 to 25,000 genes. This large-scale project is the result of international scientific cooperation that spanned nearly 15 years. It spurred fierce competition between an international public consortium and a private company called Celera Genomics.
Project Genesis
The idea of the project was launched in early 1985. Three independent scientists proposed embarking on this mission. Renato Dulbecco, winner of the Nobel Prize in 1975 for the discovery of oncogenes, suggested the possibility of mapping the human genome at a conference. He then published an article in the American Journal of Science. In May 1985, Robert Sinsheimer, Chancellor of the University of Santa Cruz in California, organized a conference on the issue. He was unable to find financing for the project, however. In 1986, it was supported by the US Department of Energy and its director of biology, Charles DeLisi, who funded a number of feasibility studies and early developments.
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Before the end of 1988, two years of heated discussions took place on whether the sequencing would be open to the entire scientific community. The decision to launch the project in general was made on the recommendation of the US National Research Council. At the same time, scientists in Switzerland launched a project called HUGO, the Human Genome Organization, which aimed to coordinate the sequencing efforts of all countries worldwide.
Beginning in 1989, the project had an anticipated duration of 15 years and a total budget estimated at $3 billion. It included not only the study of the human genome but also that of model organisms such as E. coli and Drosophila. The leadership was ultimately entrusted to the National Institutes of Health and its first director, James Watson, co-discoverer of the structure of the double helix of DNA. The publication of the raw sequence was ultimately made in February 2001, three years ahead of schedule.
The Race Against Celera
In 1998, Craig Venter, then director of the J. Craig Venter Institute, a private, non-profit foundation, announced that he founded a private company, Celera Genomics, with support from Perkin-Elmer, a large scientific instrumentation company. Their goal was to sequence the human genome in just three years using a highly efficient, automated process. Celera accounted for a return on its $300 million investment by selling access to the genome to pharmaceutical companies.
This announcement caused an uproar in the scientific community as the human genome is considered common property, and ownership by private interests would be unacceptable to most scientists. A three-year race ensued between Celera and the international public consortium, led by Francis Collins, who succeeded James Watson. The race ended in a tie in June 2000. On June 26, president Bill Clinton officially announced from the White House the end of the project.
Sequencing the human genome was a massive undertaking that completely surpassed the scope of any previous scientific project. The results of the Human Genome Project may one day allow scientists to find new treatments for diseases and prevent life-threatening mutations.
