Importance of Biochemistry Part 3: BioRat Biochemistry Blog www.biorat.blogspot.com

Importance of Biochemistry Part 3: BioRat Biochemistry Blog www.biorat.blogspot.com

Impact of the Human Genome Project (HGP) on Biochemistry, Biology, & Medicine Remarkable progress was made in the late 1990s in sequencing the human genome by the HGP. This culminated in July 2000, when leaders of the two groups involved in this effort (the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium and Celera Genomics, a private company) announced that over 90% of the genome had been sequenced. Draft versions of the sequence were published in early 2001. With the exception of a few gaps, the sequence of the entire human genome was completed in 2003, 50 years after the description of the double-helical nature of DNA by Watson and Crick. The implications of the HGP for biochemistry, all of biology, and for medicine and related health sciences are tremendous, and only a few points are mentioned here. It is now possible to isolate any gene and usually determine its structure and function (eg, by sequencing and knockout experiments). Many previously unknown genes have been revealed; their products have already been established, or are under study. New light has been thrown on human evolution, and procedures for tracking disease genes have been greatly refined. Reference to the human genome will be made in various sections of this text.

Summary Biochemistry is the science concerned with studying the various molecules that occur in living cells and organisms and with their chemical reactions. Because life depends on biochemical reactions, biochemistry has become the basic language of all biologic sciences. Biochemistry is concerned with the entire spectrum of life forms, from relatively simple viruses and bacteria to complex human beings. Biochemistry and medicine are intimately related. Health depends on a harmonious balance of biochemical reactions occurring in the body, and disease reflects abnormalities in biomolecules, biochemical reactions, or biochemical processes. Advances in biochemical knowledge have illuminated many areas of medicine. Conversely, the study of diseases has often revealed previously unsuspected aspects of biochemistry. Biochemical approaches are often fundamental in illuminating the causes of diseases and in designing appropriate therapies. The judicious use of various biochemical laboratory tests is an integral component of diagnosis and monitoring of treatment. A sound knowledge of biochemistry and of other related basic disciplines is essential for the rational practice of medicine and related health sciences. Results of the HGP and of research in related areas will have a profound influence on the future of biology, medicine and other health sciences.

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