A consortium of international researchers, spearheaded by a team from China’s gene sequencing giant BGI, has issued a call to action for the revival of the Human Genome Project (HGP) in a new iteration dubbed HGP2. The initiative aims to address the burgeoning challenges facing the advancement of precision medicine globally. In a thought-provoking article featured in Cell, the researchers advocate for a global effort to sequence at least 1% of the Earth’s population, a milestone they believe is crucial for the future of genomic medicine.
The authors argue that a coordinated international push for HGP2 is imperative for collecting multi-omics data from a wide array of populations. This data would enable the clinical significance of genetic and multi-omic variations to be documented and integrated into clinical practices and public health policies. Sequencing 1% of the global population, according to the researchers, would facilitate the development of standards and methodologies for incorporating multi-omics into precision medicine. This would lead to the establishment of global best practices in areas such as carrier screening, investigation of dominant disorders, rare disease diagnosis, and pharmacogenomics.
The authors emphasize that realizing these advancements will necessitate unprecedented transnational collaboration to surmount a myriad of challenges, including economic, organizational, infrastructural, and ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI). They stress the importance of galvanizing global efforts to make precision medicine a universal benefit, accessible to all and adaptable for future generations.
The original HGP was a monumental international collaboration that spanned from 1990 to 2003, resulting in the first complete sequence of the human genome and several other organisms. The project engaged 20 universities and research centers across the US, UK, France, Germany, Japan, and China, setting a precedent for global scientific unity.- Flcube.com
