Why was the Human Genome Project declared complete in April 2003?
The Human Genome Project (HGP) was declared complete in April 2003 because researchers had successfully refined, extended, and analyzed the rough draft of the human genome sequence, which had been announced in 2000.1
By this time, the international collaboration had determined the sequences of nearly all the genetic content of the human genome, providing the basic information for the three billion chemical base pairs that constitute human DNA. The timing of the announcement was also symbolic, as it coincided with the 50th anniversary of the landmark publication by Francis Crick and James D. Watson that described the double-helical structure of DNA.21
Beyond merely sequencing, the project had achieved its goals of improving technologies for genomic analysis and identifying the genes encoded within human DNA.2