The 1% gift to humanity: The Human Genome Project II
Weibin Liu, Yan Li, George P. Patrinos, Shuhua Xu, Meow‐Keong Thong, Zhengming Chen, Francis P. Crawley, Liming Li, Perihan Elif Ekmekçi, Radoje Drmanac, Weiyang Cheong, Robert Benamouzig, Quan Nguyen, Pavel Volchkov, Juergen Reichardt, Piero Carninci, Partha P. Majumder, Xin Jin, George Church, Jian Wang, Xun Xu
Abstract
Upon announcing the completion of the Human Genome Project (HGP) in 2003, scientific leaders envisaged the transformative promise of the human genome for health and society. 1 They anticipated genomics breakthroughs that could touch all of humanity and empower people to have longer healthier lives, ultimately creating a more prosperous society that also wields the human genome responsibly. Two decades on, human genomics now underpins the prospects of precision medicine and precision public health (Box 1). However, as further impactful advances increasingly depend on world-wide representation and collaboration, global-scale challenges that shackle progress must now be addressed. These are mainly economic, organizational, infrastructural, scientific, and Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI) challenges. Existing efforts lack coordination at the scale and scope required to overcome these challenges. In a time of heightened geopolitical uncertainty and legitimate citizen concern over the conscientious use of data and data-analysis methodologies, which include genomics big data and artificial intelligence (AI), we must draw inspiration from precedents where bold goals organized humanity to responsibly employ the best technologies and collaborative science toward their solution. 2 In an era where intense corporate competition and geopolitical agendas threaten global collaboration, we must galvanize efforts to make precision medicine a universal gift — available and accessible to all of humanity for the generations to come.