Importance of Human Genome Project (HGP)

 

Importance of Human Genome Project (HGP)

The exact location of every human gene is to be found and mapped as part of the Human Genome Project (HGP), a global initiative. With a 15-year timeline, the US Human Genome Project (HGP) set out to map the human genome.

Importance of HGP in different areas:

1.      Molecular Medicine

More accuracy in illness diagnosis: Diagnoses of illness are now simpler thanks to the HGP.

Genetic illness susceptibility is more quickly identified. Genetically mapping mutant genes that lead to various human diseases and cloning them have become simpler thanks to the HGP (Gottesman & Collins, 1994).

Medication formulation with logic: A number of mutated genes produce the wrong proteins in the cases of cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer's. According to the same reasoning, if we develop drugs to block mutant genes in one situation, we should be able to turn off defective genes in all three types of aging-related disorders. Drugs are designed to target the specific cancer gene, which repeats more quickly and generates acids. Aziridine and carbamate molecules react with acid. Drugs with aziridines and carbamates disintegrate in acidic environments, releasing carbonium ions that harm DNA and silence genes. Only the acid-producing genes will be attacked, regardless of where they are. Whether they are dispersed throughout the genome or clustered, it makes no difference (Khan, 2020).

2.      Energy and Environmental Applications

Expected assistance includes the creation of numerous new goods, procedures, and testing techniques that will pave the way for a cleaner environment. Enzymes and chemicals will be used in bio manufacturing to lower costs and increase the effectiveness of industrial operations. To remove lipstick from glassware, stone wash denim, bleach paper pulp, break down starch in brewing, and coagulate milk protein for cheese manufacturing, microbial enzymes have all been utilized. Microbial sequences may aid in the discovery of new human genes and give light on the pathogens' capacity to cause disease, both of which are areas of interest in the field of health. Thanks to microbial genomics, pharmaceutical researchers will also gain a better comprehension of how hazardous microbes cause disease. The sequencing of these microorganisms will help highlight their shortcomings and elucidate.

3.      Risk Assessment

We will be better able to evaluate the risks that dangerous substances pose to certain people once we have a better understanding of the human genome. Scientists are aware that some people are more genetically vulnerable to these substances than others and that some people are more immune to them. In order to assess the risks and effects of radiation exposure, particularly low-dose exposures, HGP assesses the health repercussions. As a result, three key areas of risk assessment are taken into account: the risk of unintended exposure to environmental toxins, the risk of a negative reaction to prescription drugs, and the possibility of contracting a disease owing to a genetic predisposition. Rokett (2002).

4.      Bio archaeology, Anthropology, Evolution, and Human Migration.

The Y chromosome changes on the Y chromosome are used to trace lineage and migration of males, and germ line mutations in lineages, migration of various population groupings based on female genetic inheritance, and the Human Genome Project (HGP) all contribute to the study of evolution. Breakpoints in the evolution of mutations are also compared to population ages and historical occurrences. Understanding genetics will enable us to better comprehend both the evolution of humans and the shared biology of all living things. Comparative genomics between humans and other creatures, such as mice, has previously shown similar genes linked to diseases and behaviours. Many other genes' as-yet-unknown functions will be discovered through additional comparative investigations. We can learn new things about the links between the three kingdoms of life—archaebacteria, eukaryotes, and prokaryotes—by comparing the DNA sequences of whole genomes from various microbes.

5.      DNA Forensics (Identification).

By looking at DNA sequences particular to that species, any sort of organism can be identified. Individual identification is less precise, but as DNA sequencing technology advance, direct characterization of extremely vast DNA segments, and perhaps even complete genomes, will become feasible and practicable and enable accurate individual identification. To identify people, forensic experts scan around 10 DNA regions that vary from person to person. They then utilize the information to build a DNA profile of that person, also known as a DNA fingerprint. A very slim chance exists that another person has the identical DNA profile for a specific collection of areas.

6. Agrarian, livestock-breeding, and bioprocessing industries.

We will be able to develop stronger, more disease-resistant plants and animals by understanding the genomes of plants and animals. Bioengineered seeds are already being used by farmers to produce crops that are either pesticide or drought-resistant and resistant to insects and drought. The health of their crops and livestock has allowed farmers to improve production and decrease waste. Crops like tobacco have been used in alternative ways. A bacterial enzyme that degrades explosives like TNT and nitroglycerin was produced by genetically modifying tobacco plants in a researcher's lab. Simply cultivating these unique plants in the contaminated area can clear up waste that would take millennia to decompose in the soil.