GenomicsGenomics 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 working to identify every gene in human DNA and the sequences of the chemical base pairs that make up each one. It's not an easy task, but in the coming years the world will recognize that genomics is the greatest advance since sandwich bread. The scientists intend to store the data in databases, develop new sequencing technologies and develop data analysis tools. Celera and the Human Genome Project completed the Genome Project drafts 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 human genome sequence and integrate 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 sequencing method, making DNA sequencing possible in 1976. In the early 1990s, 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) After the draft was completed, Tony Blair quoted: “. . . the involvement went far beyond even the discovery of antibiotics, the first great technological triumph of the 21st century. (Bird, 2000) The Genome Project calculates genes discovered in ESTs, or gene fragments. The researchers reduced these fragments to a few hundred genes responsible for human diseases. ......middle of article......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. Genomics Integration: The Next Generation. London: Datamoniter PLC, 16, 27.