Timelines: 2003
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The Complete Works of the Human Genome Project
The collected genome data, available for free on genetic data banks, is immediately put to use by the scientific and medical community. In 2007, researchers studying genetic variations associated with breast cancer identify six new sites of variation in the genome, a discovery that furthers researchers’ understanding of breast cancer’s “biology” and possible new treatments. Researchers in Britain that same year identify DNA variations that underlie seven of the most common diseases including bipolar disorder, coronary artery disease, Crohn’s disease, hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis, and Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Analysis of these common disease “pathways” may lead to better drugs and more effective treatments. In 2007, DNA pioneer James Watson symbolically ushers in/foreshadows a new era of personalized medicine when he is ceremoniously presented with a DVD recording of his own genome. Commenting on the experience, Watson states succinctly, “I am thrilled to see my genome.”
