Genome :: First individual human genome mapped

The first individual human genome has been mapped and will provide the first complete blueprint of an individual. A complete DNA blueprint of celebrity scientist Craig Venter has revealed genetic variation among humans far richer than previously imagined.

A genome is the complete collection of hereditary information for an individual organism. In cellular life forms, the hereditary information exists as DNA. There are two fundamentally distinct types of cells in the living world, prokaryotic and eukaryotic, and the organization of genomes differs in these two types of cells.

Researchers at J Craig Venter Institute have decoded 2.8 billion bits of genetic code of Venter himself, who is also the author of the study.

The study, published in a journal, will hasten advances in preventive medicine as it becomes clearer how cells function.

“Within five years, faster and cheaper sequencing techniques could produce complete genomes for 10,000 people, laying the foundation for “an era of individualized genomics,” Venter predicted.

The new data shows that in an individual genome upwards of 44 percent of genes are variable in sequence.


Leave a Comment