The Human Genome Program was initiated by DOE in 1986 to map and determine the complete DNA sequence of the human genome. The principal goal of this international program is to determine a representative human DNA sequence of all 3 billion base pairs in the human genome. The U.S. Human Genome Project is jointly managed by DOE and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

In October 1998, Science magazine published the new DOE and NIH plan, New Goals for the U.S. Human Genome Project: 1998-2003, in which human DNA sequencing is the major emphasis. An ambitious schedule has been set to complete the full sequence by the end of 2003, two years ahead of previous projections. In the course of completing the sequence, a "working draft" of the human sequence will be produced by the end of 2001. The plan also includes goals for sequencing technology development; for studying human genome sequence variation; for developing technology for functional genomics; for completing the sequence of Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster and starting the mouse genome; for studying the ethical, legal, and social implications of genome research; for bioinformatics and computational studies; and for training of genome scientists.

The following provides additional information on the scope and breadth of the human genome project:

DOE Sequencing
DOE Joint Genome Institute and Production Sequencing Facility
DOE Bioinformatics
DOE Genome Instrumentation
DOE Ethical Legal and Societal Issues Program
Human Genome Project Information

Building on successful sequencing technology development within the Human Genome Program, DOE initiated the Microbial Genome Program in 1993 and demonstrated the feasibility of rapidly determining the complete DNA sequence of microbial genomes.