The full completion of the human genome map will have a revolutionary bearing on medical science, experts attending the ongoing annual academic meeting of the China Association for Science and Technology said in Changchun.

"When the map is fully finished, doctors will write prescriptions for patients according to their genome mapping," said Ba Denian, an expert with the Academy of Engineering of China and president of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.

The human genome project aims to decipher the DNA codes by examining the human genome sequence, and thus unveiling the mystery of the human body.

Since 1990, scientists from the United States, Britain, Germany, France, China and Japan have been doing teamwork on the project.

Teams from these countries work on different sections of the human genome and expect to produce a complete map after the results are put together.

By September this year, scientists announced that they had completed the human genome sequencing. They are expected to finish the whole job by the year 2003.

"The most exciting thing for doctors is that when the project is completed, all gene-related diseases will be understood, and measures using genes to cure embryo deficiencies will be applied to medical experiments," said Qiang Boqin, an expert with the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

However, the genome project has met with opposition from some doctors and scientists. Doubts about whether genetic food will impact human health, and some moral issues still remain to be resolved.

(Xinhua News Agency 09/16/2001)