A. In the broadest of terms, the word genome is used to refer to the basic genetic material of an organism. This genetic material is contained in plants, animals, and humans. It is the sum of hereditary information of a species and contains all of the instructions an individual needs to develop and maintain life.
Q. What is the Human Genome Project (HGP)?
A. The Human Genome Project is an international effort by a group of scientists to map the 3.2 billion base pairs (the “code of life” written in the alphabet of DNA) that comprise the genome of human beings. The sequencing of the genome actually consisted of a combined sampling of DNA from several individuals.
Q. Has the Human Genome Project been completed?
A. Yes. Ten years after it began, international supporters of the Human Genome Project announced in June of 2000 that the rough draft of the human genome was complete.
There are ongoing efforts by researchers to continue to store the information in databases, improve the tools used for analysis, provide information to the private sector, and address the ethical, legal, and social issues surrounding the Human Genome Project.
Q. Who funded the Human Genome Project?
A. The primary contributors were the U.S. government and a British research charity, Wellcome Trust. There is also cooperation between the U.S. Department of Energy, National Institute of Health, as well as the national programs of Canada and several countries in Europe and Asia, including France, Germany, Japan, and China. In addition, there have been a number of private sector genome research centers that have contributed research to the project.
Q. What were the goals of the Human Genome Project?
A. There were two principal goals of the Human Genome Project. 1 First, it identified the approximately 30,000 to 35,000 genes in human DNA. Second, it sequenced the 3.2 billion chemical bases in human DNA. By sequencing this information, we gain a better understanding of the way that genetic material acts within the body—and interacts with the environment—to produce specific characteristics. There are also some additional goals which include: 2
- Storing the information in databases
- Improving tools for data analysis
- Transferring related technologies to the private sector
- Addressing the ethical legal and social issues that may arise from the project
Q. Was it moral to map the human genome?
A. 3 In and of itself, the mapping of the human genome is neither moral nor immoral. However, the way the knowledge is used does have moral implications. As with all technological gains in our society, we have the tremendous ability to use the new information that we obtain for either good or evil. This means that implementing guidelines for how this information should be used is a crucial step in maintaining a moral framework in our research.
Q. Are there limits to what the Human Genome Project can tell us about our actions as humans?
A. Yes. Our ideas of spirituality, longing for God, and our innate sense of right and wrong can never be attributed to a gene that has been discovered in the lab. We are made in the image of God and these characteristics are part of the “humanness” that sets us apart from every other living organism.<>
Dawn Vargo is an associate analyst for bioethics in the Public Policy Division of Focus on the Family.
