GENOME/MEDICAL APPLICATIONS
Importance of the Human Genome Project and Medicine:
The preserved cells from various populations will be very valuable as a facet of the Human Genome Project. The Human Genome Project is the most expensive research project in the history of science. Since no two humans are genetically alike and populations are also genetically different, determining the whole genetic composition one or just a few individuals would not provide a complete picture of the DNA composition of our entire species. Therefore, a project limited in scope to a few individuals would be biased if populations afflicted by specific genetic maladies were not considered. In such instances, these valuable samples will supplement the genetic information generated from the limited number of individuals sequenced by the Human Genome Project and will allow valuable comparisons that may uncover the genetic basics of the diseases.
