Instrumentation and its advancements were critical to the Human Genome Project being a success, as well as developing anti-cancer methods. The constant changes in technology and techniques allows for progress in many other fields as well. Some of the instruments used in the Human Genome Project are described in following pages.
Part of what holds scientists back in making advances in research in the nature of the subject of the research. Retroviruses, for example, mutate often and quickly, making them more challenging subjects. Another factor holding back breakthroughs is the technology. Without an instrument to preform a certain test, having knowledge of a theoretical test will not yield real results. Likewise, the cost of certain instruments and methods can hold research back. These are a couple examples of why instrumentation is crucial to the Human Genome Project, among other projects and research.
Throughout the course of the bulk of the Human Genome Project, advances were made due to pressure put on the research community to make them in order to complete the project. There is continued desire to make advances and to decrease the cost required to obtain the data needed to sequence genomes, showing that this is a process rather than a result. There is always room for improvement and new ideas to be tested.
The Human Genome Project and Cancer 