I think this is very good news for medical research and possibly for the UK PLC. Certainly for us.
The government have committed £300 million pounds so far to the Genomes Project which will map 100,000 DNA code sequences of patients with cancer and rare diseases and some of their close families. The Project is due to be completed by 2017/2018.
The Project has been announced for a few days now I know so I am sure most GN'S know all about it, but if it does succeed then it is said it could revolutionize medicine.
Basically it is the personalising of treatments for patients using their genetic DNA. The hope is drugs will be designed that will target a tumour and healthy tissue will be unharmed, side effects such as hair loss etc. could become a thing of the past. Researchers are looking for changes to our genetic code and the effects it has on our health and possible cause for us to develop illnesses such as cancer.
The UK will be a world leader in this research and I think the government and the Department of Health deserve a pat on the back. It could not only treat cancers such as bowel, breast, ovarian and lungs, it is also looking at other rare diseases too. The potential for the development and research for the UK is amazing.
Just imagine if the thoughts of those involved in the Project are correct and drugs and therapies in 20 years time will be so advanced the old days of chemotherapy and it's side effects could be a thing of the past.
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