Happy DNA Day!!!

[science_spot]

National DNA Day!  Did you even know there was such a thing??  Well I LOVE DNA and I just learned about this "holiday" a few weeks ago.  National DNA Day celebrates the completion of the first complete human genome sequences by the Human Genome Project in April 2003.

The Human Genome Project was a major project that gave us the first COMPLETE human genome sequence.  This is the DNA sequence of every gene on every chromosome in a human cell.  The completed project indicates there are about 20,500 human genes!

Read more about the Human Genome Project and DNA at the National Human Genome Research Institute's webpage.   For anyone really interested in the Human Genome Project, they have a FABULOUS online tutorial!!!  I highly recommend it.   They have a FaceBook page too, if you want to be a fan (like me, LOL).  Make sure you check out their Fortune Cookie DNA helix!  

So where are we going next with human gene sequencing?  A few companies are working on next-generation sequencing equipment, with the goal of being able to sequence a sample genome in a short period of time for under $1,000.  When this goal is achieved, it may be possible to have your personal genome sequenced and kept on file.  Knowing this information brings us into the world of personalized medicine.  Doctors could know from your genes if you are likely (or not) to respond to certain drugs, without the trial and error that we sometimes work through now. 

A good example of personalized medicine is knowing a breast cancer patient's her2/neu receptor status when deciding which drugs to use for treatment.  Read more about this here on the FDAs page.

What else are they doing wih genome sequencing?  They just finished up sequencing the Hereford Cow.  Many other animal genomes are already sequenced, with many more in the works!

Tonya

AKA sunmoonstars

The Science Spot

[FerTree]

Apr. 26, 2009 at 10:46 AM

Whoo hoo!  I love DNA Day!  Someday I hope to be able to go to the NHG Institute's shindig.