Our first good look at the human genome provides a startling new view of the origins of life. The human genetic blueprint - the so called "book of life" - has finally been opened, allowing unprecedented insights into what it really means to be a member of the human race. But it has also pushed us across the threshold of a brave new world. It has put into our hands powerful tools that some would say allow us to tamper with the very building blocks of humanity.
The publication of new research studies into the genetic code stems directly from announcements made last June. Then, two groups - the publicly-funded Human Genome Project and the private company Celera Genomics - announced that they had completed two separate catalogues of the human genome. This was a remarkable achievement, given that the book of life, DNA, is made up of a colossal three billion separate chemical steps. With this powerful catalogue in hand - the very instruction manual for making a human - the scientists next turned to the complex and challenging business of understanding the meaning behind the code. These new research announcements are but an initial assault on the mountain of data that is contained in DNA. We are no further than the very lowest base camp as we attempt a climb that will take decades. But we at least are on our way. Without doubt, there is enormous potential to do good with such information. We can now penetrate the cell and watch the biochemical processes that support life; access that should in time lead to dramatic new treatments for what are today intractable illnesses. While scientists have been left giddy with this first spectacular view of the promise that the genome holds, we must also be aware of the risks inherent in this technology. It is imperative that the Government quickly considers how legislation might be devised to protect the genetic privacy of individuals. Even now, we are able to identify genetic mutations behind illnesses such as Huntington's disease. Who, if anyone, should have access to this information? Employers in some countries have already begun to ask for the results of genetic tests as a way to assess future health and performance of employees. Insurance companies also want this information as a way to protect against big life assurance pay-outs.
And what of the more controversial aspects of medical studies such as cloning, embryo research and the notion of "designer babies"? Knowledge taken from the genome will greatly aid this work if it is to be pursued in humans in the same way it already is in animals. Protection against abuses can only begin by having in place a powerful and effective legislative framework, but no such bulwark as yet exists here, or in other countries. Who will protect us from ourselves?