Twenty-Three Years of the Human Genome Project
June 25, 2013 | Terry Sharrer
The Human Genome Project reached “completion” ten years ago, this past April 14th; and to mark that anniversary the National Human Genome Research Institute at NIH released a chart showing milestones since passed. Before the HGP, the molecular basis of only 61 human diseases was known; now, that number approaches 5,000. No drugs were indicated as genetically specific a decade ago; today there are 106. As with other scientific “breakthroughs,” the process has involved accumulated knowledge, available capital, apparent need, and social acceptability—each of which moves at its own pace. MORE