Exploring the human, animal and plant genome

Research on these subjects is quickly accelerating - a recent invention in the field of genetics is the gene chip or DNA microarrays which gather tens of thousands of oligonucleotides (short DNA molecules) on a single glass slide.

Affordable genome sequencing is expected to become reality for many in the next few years. This kind of knowledge may help determine disease susceptibility and whether a drug will help a patient or cause serious side-effects, paving the way for personalised therapy based on an individual's genetic profile.

When it comes to plants and animals, researchers continue to explore and develop genetically modified organisms (GMOs). This technique allows selected individual genes to be transferred from one organism into another, also between non-related species.

This technology is not without controversy however. Currently, only one GM crop - a pesticide-producing maize known as MON 810 - is grown on EU soil and safeguards are in place against it in some Member States. Meanwhile, 49 GMOs for animal feed are in circulation in the EU.