The Human Proteome Project

Humanity is at the brink of a biological revolution. In the year 2011, only the tip of the biological iceberg has revealed itself. The next several decades will unveil an unprecedented rate of technological advance, particularly in the fields of genomics and proteomics. While understanding the genome is the essential first step towards this revolution, the real development and exploitation of this technology will happen via proteomics. The Human Proteome Project is the critical bridge between knowledge of the genome and full operationalization of tactics and techniques to manipulate biological processes in very deliberate and specific ways. These findings will create synergies leading to the specific and precise exploitation of genetic data. The project will yield such comprehensive knowledge of the biological and molecular function of human life that medical diagnosis and intervention will be radically altered. Future biological technology has the potential for both good and evil. Primarily seen as medical research and a path to development of better medications, the majority of research occurs at either pharmaceutical firms or other public research centers. Some of these entities are state sponsored and others are university affiliated, but advances in medical science appear to be the primary driver for the majority of this work.