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| Human Genome Project |
"The Human Genome Project is a global, long-term
research effort to identify the estimated 30,000 genes in human DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and to figure out the sequences
of the chemical bases that make up human DNA". New findings are being put into databases which are accessible to
all researchers. Some of the goals of the Human Genome Project are:
- 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.
To help reach these
goals, researchers also studied the genetic makeup of nonhuman organisms. These include the common human gut bacterium
Escherichia coli, the fruit fly, and the laboratory mouse. The research findings are supposed to lead to a higher understanding
of how life works and how to diagnose and treat various human disorders.
Not only are the recent findings helping
us learn more about human DNA, they are also finding how nonhuman DNA may offer fresh ways to save our environment.
What is a Genome?
"A genome is the sum of all the DNA in an organism". The
DNA consists of genes, each of which carries some information for making certain proteins. These proteins determine,
among other things, how the organism looks, how well its body metabolizes food or fights infection, and sometimes even how
it behaves. The four chemical bases in the genome are abbreviated as A,T,C,G. The order of the chemical bases is crucial as
they are repeated a large amount of times. This order of these chemical bases is what makes species different and each
organism unique. The human genome has 3 billion pairs of bases.
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| A Plated Based Array (Biochip) |
What Role Will Biochips Play?
At
this point in time, biochips are being used to find out which genes are expressed in which tissues. Interestingly, almost
every cell in the human body contains the entire genome. However, in order to produce the various tissues that
make up the human body, various genes must be switched on and off. For example, in a liver cell or skin cell, only 15 percent
of its total genes are actually active. This is where the biochip comes in to play. The biochip can tell researchers which
genes are active in the genome. Biochips can also discover the difference between the healthy tissue and the diseased
tissue and in turn give the researchers a therapeutical target. An added bonus to the biochip's function is that it can go
about this procedure with amazin speed. Thanks to the biochip (and more powerful computers)the Human Genome Project was completed in half the time that the researchers had originally set out to meet.
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