Genome Research - Challenges of the HGP

Challenges of the HGP

When the Human Genome Project was proposed, the technology to complete it did not exist. One of the major challenges facing scientists was developing the tools that would allow them to achieve their goals. Beyond such scientific obstacles, many practical challenges faced researchers as well. Competition for funding and other resources created a difficult environment for many scientists to work. The nature of the giant project was necessarily exclusive: it had to be centered in a small number of large groups, and many great researchers were sidelined. Furthermore, there was much contention about the way to carry out the work. No one had ever embarked upon such a large-scale project in biology and learning how to manage this was, at times, as challenging as doing the science.