Britain announces project to map 100,000 DNA code sequences

Scientists in Britain are to map 100,000 complete DNA code sequences in a project that will make the country a world leader in genetic research on cancer and rare diseases, the prime minister said yesterday.

David Cameron announced £300 million (HK$3.1 trillion) in deals to fund the mapping project, predicted to be complete by 2017.

The project will sequence the genetic codes of about 75,000 patients with cancer and rare diseases, and those of their close relatives. Both the healthy and the tumour cells of the cancer patients will be mapped, meaning about 100,000 will be sequenced in total.

"This agreement will see the UK lead the world in genetic research within years," Cameron said.

"As our plan becomes a reality, I believe we will be able to transform how devastating diseases are diagnosed and treated in the NHS [National Health Service] and across the world."

Scientists hope that identifying tiny changes in the genetic code that can trigger disease will allow for personalised and more effective treatments.

An example of this kind of therapy is Herceptin, a drug which treats a breast cancer variant characterised by overactivity of the Her2 gene.