what is the human genome project

The Human Genome Project (HGP) was an international scientific research project that aimed to determine the base pairs that make up human DNA, and to identify, map, and sequence all of the genes of the human genome from both a physical and functional standpoint. The project was launched in 1990 and completed in 2003. The primary goal of the project was to discover the complete set of human genes and make them accessible for further biological study, and to determine the complete sequence of DNA bases in the human genome. The project was a large, well-organized, and highly collaborative international effort that generated the first sequence of the human genome and that of several additional well-studied organisms. The sequencing of the human genome holds benefits for many fields, from molecular medicine to human evolution. The projects utility comes from the fact that the vast majority of the human genome is the same in all humans. The Human Genome Project has helped researchers understand diseases including genotyping of specific viruses to direct appropriate treatment, identification of mutations linked to different forms of cancer, and the design of medication.