What Does Full Sequencing of the Human Genome Mean for Health?

While scientists celebrate putting together the last pieces of the human genome – a major accomplishment decades in the making – the rest of us are left wondering what this breakthrough could mean for our own health and well-being.

Advances in diagnosis and treatment of cancers, development disorders, infertility, and many diseases driven by genetic changes are expected to come out of this new research, experts say.

“Hallelujah. We finally finished one human genome. This is the beginning of a transformation, not only for genomic research but for clinical medicine,” said Evan Eichler, PhD, who spoke at a media briefing sponsored by the National Human Genome Research Institute.

“This is going to have substantial impacts for basic research...