Genomics

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Genomics

Genomics is the study of the functions of genes and DNA in an organism, including location, structure, sequence, regulation and function. The genome provides a list of building materials for proteins. (Kerns/McDonald, 2001) Today scientists are striving to identify every gene in human DNA and the sequences of the chemical base pairs that make up each one. This is no easy task, but within the next few years, the world will acknowledge genomics as the biggest thing since sliced bread.

Scientists intend to store the data in databases, develop new sequencing technologies, and develop tools for data analysis. Both Celera and the Human Genome Project completed rough drafts of the Genome Project in June 2000 in which approximately 30,000 genes were identified in the human genome. The ultimate goal of the project is to identify the sequence of the human genome and incorporate it into the study of biology and medicine. (Kerns/McDonald, 2001)

The genome project would have been impossible without the work of Frederick Sanger, who developed the dideoxynucleotide method of sequencing, making the sequencing of DNA possible in 1976. In the early 1990’s, scientists undertook one of the largest projects ever when they agreed to map and interpret the functions of every gene in the human body. (“Genomics”, 1998) When the rough draft was completed, Tony Blair quoted, “ . . . implication far surpassed even the discovery of antibiotics, the first great technological triumph of the 21st century.” (Bird, 2000) The Genome Project calculates the discovered genes in EST’s, or gene fragments. Researchers have narrowed these fragments down to a few hundred genes that cause human diseases. ...

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...Solomon Smith Barney Inc. 148.

Drell, Daniel, and Anne Adamson, (March 14, 2002), “Fast Forward to 2020: What to Expect in Molecular Medicine”. http://www.ornl.gov/hgmis/medicine/tnty.html.

Harp, Denis R., Thomas Wei, and Caroline Y. Goodman, 2002. Introduction to Biotechnology. London: Deutsche Banc Alex. Brown Inc., 31.

Kerns, Eleanor, and Carl R. McDonald, 2001. Genomics/ Proteomics 101. London: Credit Suisse First Boston, 3-18.

Murray, Matthew N., et al., 1998. Gene Therapy II. London: Lehman Brothers Inc., 86-107.

Nelson, Todd R., 1999. The Genomics Industry: Expressing Value. New York: Dain Rauscher Inc., 3-9.

Raven, Peter H., and George B. Johnson, 2002. Biology: Sixth Edition. New York: McGraw Hill Companies Inc., 403-410.

Smith, Richard T., 1998. Integrating Genomics: The Next Generation. London: Datamoniter PLC, 16, 27.

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