Health and Wellness Blog

The Human Genome Project was started in October 1990 and completed in April 2003.  The goal of the project was to identify  all of the approximately 20,000 to 25,000 genes of a human being and to determine the sequence.  The genome is a complete set of DNA including its genes.

Why is it important? The benefits include:

• Drugs to target specific diseases
• Match the right drug (ones most likely to work) with the individual
• Predict your genetic risk for many diseases through genetic testing
• Gene therapy

For more information read A Guide to Your Genome from the National Human Genome Research Institute.

Would you spend $1,000.00 to have your genome sequenced?  On Tuesday two competing companies announced the development of a new machine that can sequence your genome in a day for $1,000.00.  Read The $1,000 Human Genome: Are We There Yet? from Scientific American.

Check out the Library's recent books about the Human Genome Project.  To see which branch has a copy of the book and to place a hold, click on the title or cover link; 

Drawing the Map of Life: Inside the Human Genome Project	Here is a Human Being: at the Dawn of Personal Genomics	The $1,000 Genome: the Revolution in DNA Sequencing and the New Era of Personalized Medicine