A project set to create the World’s biggest genetic database was recently given the green light in the UK with a £45-million ($65.35-million) pledge to get it off the ground. Dubbed the “biobank” the project will house DNA samples taken from 500,000 Britons aged 45 to 69, while it is not the world’s first genetic database it will be the biggest and the most ethnically diverse. The project will enable scientists to learn more about the genetic and environmental factors behind everyday diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. However, it is likely that the first use of the “biobank” will be to further the understanding of a science known as pharmacogenomics, which sets out to understand why people react differently to the same drugs. The project is being funded by the British government and the Wellcome Trust.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: Reported by www.reutershealth.com on the 29th April 2002
