- D R Bentley: The Sanger Centre, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK. drb@sanger.ac.uk
The year 2000 is marked by the production of the sequence of the human genome. A 'working draft' of high quality sequence covering 90% of the genome has been determined and a quarter is in finished form, including the first two completed chromosomes. All sequence data from the project is made freely available to the community via the Internet, for further analysis and exploitation. The challenge which lies ahead is to decipher the information. Knowledge of the human genome sequence will enable us to understand how the genetic information determines the development, structure and function of the human body. We will be able to explore how variations within our DNA sequence cause disease, how they affect our interaction with our environment and ultimately to develop new and effective ways to improve human health.