Humans decoded

It's expected that genome-based research will help develop highly effective diagnostic tools and treatments for diseases

“We are at a turning point in the study of tumour virology and cancer, in general. If we wish to learn more about cancer, we must now concentrate on the cellular genome.” With these words, Nobel Prize-winning Italian-American virologist Renato Dulbecco first pitched the idea to determine the DNA sequence of the entire human genome, way back in 1984.

Thirty-eight years and billions of dollars later, scientists have completed the first full and seamless catalogue of genetic instructions of humans. And this achievement is seminal: It shall help explain how every cell in a human body is created, which, in turn,