Cracking the code

Along with stem cell research, advances in genetic science has been the most exciting arena of medical endeavour in the last 20 years. Since the discovery of the famous double helix in 1953, Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) has been providing scientists with a wealth of answers not only about how the human body works, but perhaps more importantly, how individual genes can be the major contributory factor in serious illness and premature death. The pinnacle of genetic research was undoubtedly the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003. This so-called 'book of life' promised to give scie...