The $3.8 billion the US government invested in the Human Genome Project (HGP) from 1988 to 2003 helped drive $796 billion in economic impact and the generation of $244 billion in total personal income, according to a new study by Battelle, the independent research organisation.
In 2010 alone, human genome sequencing projects and associated genomics research and industry activity directly and indirectly generated $67 billion in US economic output and underpinned 310,000 jobs, paying salaries with a combined value of $20 billion. At the same time genomics-enabled industry paid $3.7 billion in federal taxes in 2010.
Along with this significant financial contribution, the report also outlines significant breakthroughs the Human Genome Project has made possible in the first ten years since the reference human genomes were published. These include new approaches to personalised medicine, greater productivity in agriculture and potential new sources of renewable energy.
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