Nations Announce Completion of Human Genome Sequence

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, April 16, 2003

Nations Announce Completion of Human Genome Sequence

An international consortium of six nations- China, the United States, Britain, Japan, France and Germany- Tuesday announced the completion of the human genome sequence.

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An international consortium of six nations- China, the United States, Britain, Japan, France and Germany- Tuesday announced the completion of the human genome sequence.

What amounts to a map of humankind, or put another way, the entire print-out of DNA, will provide the greatest scientific breakthroughs for medical science and is essential for the development of the bio-industry and human health.

Thanks to hundreds of researchers around the globe, the project was finished more than two years ahead of time at a cost of US$2.7 billion, significantly less than the original budget of US$3 billion.

The Human Genome Project (HGP), sponsored by the six governments, was begun in 1990 and was expected to be completed by 2005.

But researchers announced in February that about 95 per cent of the human genome had been mapped out.

The complete sequence of the human genome comprises some 30,000 to 40,000 genes. The decoding, "similar to having all of the pages of the manual needed to make a human body,'' will give scientists new insights into the causes of illness and the ability to develop better medicines and treatments for them.

The heads of government from the six countries have extended congratulations on the successful fulfilment of the human genome project.

The congratulations were contained in a joint statement signed by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and his counterparts from the five other countries. The statement encourages experts in the scientific circles to apply these new discoveries to reducing the suffering of mankind.

"This genetic sequence provides us with the fundamental platform for understanding ourselves, from which revolutionary progress will be made in biomedical sciences and in the health and welfare of humankind,'' the leaders said in a joint statement released on Monday.

"Their outstanding work will be noted in the history of science and technology, and as well in the history of humankind, as a landmark achievement,'' it went on.

On Monday Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao signed the joint statement together with US President George W. Bush, French President Jacques Chirac, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

Chinese scientists said that they had joined about 1,000 scientists from 16 institutions worldwide working on the final stage of the map.

China has deciphered the chromosomes that make human forearms, which account for 1 per cent of the total HGP, said Yang Huanming, the chief scientist with the Chinese team working on the HGP.

Yang said the finished sequence covers about 99 per cent of the human genome's gene-containing regions, and it has been sequenced to an accuracy of 99.99 per cent.

By successfully sequencing the human genome, scientists have now "opened the door into a vast and complex new biological landscape'' and created a revolution which is ''transforming biological science far beyond what we could imagine,'' said Yang.

"This will help scientists conduct in-depth studies into human health and diseases through genetic research,'' said Yang.

Genetics-based disease prediction, prevention, diagnosis and therapy will advance medicine to a new level, he said.

The HGP will also help scientists in their search for a cure for cancer and senile dementia. And in the near future, people can use the human genome map as a reference book to adjust their diet and lifestyle to best suit their health and living environment, Yang added.

"The government has decided to utilize the research results into development of human health,'' said Shi Dinghuan, spokesman with the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Launched in 1990, the public-funded HGP aims to determine the exact order of the approximately 3 billion DNA letters in the human genome, which contain the instructions of human life.

"All of the project's goals have been completed successfully,'' Xinhua news agency quoted Francis Collins, director of the US National Human Genome Research Institute as saying at a news conference in the United States on Monday. His country has taken the lead in the international project and completed 54 per cent of the total HGP.

Britain, Japan, France and Germany compiled 33 per cent, 7 per cent, 2.8 per cent and 2.2 per cent respectively of the finished version of the genome map, which has been hailed "a remarkable gift for all mankind'' by Collins.

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