Prime Minister David Cameron has said it "will see the UK lead the world in genetic research within years". The first genetic codes of people with cancer or rare diseases, out of a target of 100,000, have been sequenced. Experts believe it will lead to targeted therapies and could make chemotherapy "a thing of the past".
They argue that understanding DNA will soon play a role in every aspect of medicine from cancer to cardiology. Tumours are caused by mutations in DNA which lead to abnormal cells growing unchecked. Advances in genetics have shown that breast cancer is not one disease but at least 10, each with a different cause, life expectancy and needing a different treatment. Targeted drugs exist such as Herceptin, which is given only if a patient’s breast tumour has a certain mutation. The four-year 100,000 genomes project, run by Genomics England, which was set up for the purpose, is aiming to make such breakthroughs on a massive scale.