What do we do with it?
As the Human Genome Project continues to provide information about our genes, more opportunities for genetic testing will become available. Genetic testing methods identify the presence or absence of a particular allele, or form of a gene, in an individual. Genetic screening is the testing of a whole population for the presence of particular alleles.
The draft sequence has aided finding some genes and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with disease. SNPs, (pronounced ‘snips’) are a common form of DNA variation where an alteration has occurred to a single base. If the SNP is in a gene, it can sometimes disrupt the gene's function.
Over 30 genes have been identified and linked to conditions such as deafness, blindness, breast cancer and muscle disease and DNA sequences have been associated with various cancers, arthritis, diabetes and cardiovascular heart disease. This type of information is enormously useful as it provides specific targets for the development of new diagnostic tests and treatments.
We now know a lot more about our genes and how they affect our susceptibility to disease, and it can be very tempting to think that our genes are responsible for everything about us. However, the way we think and behave are shaped by more than just our genetic code. Our environment, our society, including the country we live in, the food we eat, the way we view the world and how we look after our health, all affect our behaviour as much as the genes we were born with.
Watch a video from the ABC's Catalyst program about the debate over whether nature or nurture are more important in our development and behaviour: http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/s1372609.htm
Some researchers are working with information from the Human Genome Project with the ultimate aim of being able to advise individuals what to eat to ward off inherited conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease.
Watch a video from the CSIRO about foods of the future