Human Genome Project: after fifteen years of effort

The Human Genome Project was discussed as early as 1985, and the initial pr ogram began in 1990. The subsequent sequencing programmes have taken into a ccount the rapid progress in the field, the technological advances, and the appearance of companies from the private sector. The genetic and physical cartography, sequencing of messengers and of the entireity of the human gen ome were begun successively. Furthermore, a number of genomes of model spec ies have been fully sequenced. Ninety percent of the human genome was seque nced as of June 2000, and it is hoped that it will be finished in it's enti rety by 2003. This should lead to the identification of all of the human ge nes, and of genetic variations of interest.