Sanger Centre. External view of the Sanger Centre in Cambridge, England, which conducts research for the Human Genome Project. The Human Genome Project is a global initiative aimed at finding the base sequence of all the genes in human DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). Human DNA contains over 100, 000 genes comprising some 3 billion base pairs. Genes are lengths of DNA which have specific purposes within an organism. Once complete, the human genome map will allow for improved drug design and a greater understanding of genetic diseases.