The "Hey! I Was Only A "C" Student In Science...At Best!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Attempting to read about "The Human Genome Project" which is also known as the HGP.  The HGP was an international, collaborative research program whose goal was the complete mapping and understanding of all the genes of human beings.  "Genome" is what all our genes together are known as.  The initial goal of the HGP was to determine the base pairs that make up human DNA and identifying and mapping all of our genes from both a physical and a functional standpoint.  Still with me?  Well, it was the world's largest collaborative biological project.  The planning of the project began in 1990 and was declared complete on April 14, 2003.  The project provided researchers with basic information about the sequences of the three billion chemical base pairs that make up human genome DNA.  The HGP was intended to identify all the genes encoded in human DNA, and to address the ethical, legal and social implications that might arise from defining the entire human genomic sequence.  And, in order to complete this huge project, it required billions of dollars that would be taken away from traditional biomedical research.  And my guess says that there were many people who objected to the project, since it meant they wouldn't have the money for their projects.  Well, the HGP was initiated in 1990 under the leadership of American geneticist Francis Collins, with the support of the United States Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health.  Didn't take long for scientists from around the world to jump on board and lend a hand with the project.  In February of 2001, Francis Collins noted that the genome could be thought of in terms of a book with multiple uses.  He called it a history book, a narrative of the journey of our species through time.  Also called it a shop manual with an incredibly detailed blueprint for building every human cell.  Was also called a textbook of medicine with insights that will give health care providers immense new powers to treat, prevent and cure diseases.  So, I wonder if the HGP was responsible for the vaccine that was developed in record time to treat the world during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Perhaps all those years of research may have provided a tremendous base of information that could have helped with the understanding of how our DNA might be able to help our body, with the use of specific drugs, to fight off the virus.  But then again...I was only a "C" student in science...so what do I know.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.