UK collaborates on world’s largest DNA bank

Scientists from the UK, US and China will work together to create the largest DNA database in the world.

Such a project would have been unthinkable only two years ago.

Dr Richard Durbin

Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute

The 1000 Genomes Project will map the DNA make-up of 1000 people from different parts of the world to create a detailed catalogue of the most common genome variants.

It is hoped this will lead to a greater understanding of the relationship between genetic variation and common diseases - benefiting both the medical and human biology sectors.

New sequencing technologies will be used to carry out the analysis and data will be held at the European Bioinformatics Institute in Cambridgeshire.

Dr Richard Durbin of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, also near Cambridge, is a co-chair of the research consortium.

He said: "Such a project would have been unthinkable only two years ago. Today, thanks to amazing strides in sequencing technology, bioinformatics and population genomics, it is now within our grasp.

"We are moving forward to build a tool that will greatly expand and further accelerate efforts to find more of the genetic factors involved in human health and disease.”