• Gene Therapy Death: Jesse Gelsinger, 18, died in September 1999 after a failed experimental therapy administered by the University of Pennsylvania (full report).
Graphic
Library of Life: Interactive graphic shows the makeup of human genes.(Flash Required)
Background
The Human Genome Project formally began in October 1990 with the goals of identifying the more than 100,000 genes in human DNA, determining the sequences of the 3 billion chemical base pairs in DNA, and storing this information in databases for future analysis and application.
The National Institutes of Health's Human Genome Research Institute and the Department of Energy's Human Genome Program together make up the U.S. Human Genome Project. The U.K.'s Wellcome Trust, a private philanthropy, also contributes to the global initiative.
Cancer Prompts FDA to Halt Gene Therapy The FDA has suspended U.S. gene therapy experiments after learning that a third child who underwent treatment in France has developed cancer as a result.
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Gene Research
