<P> In the Celera Genomics private - sector project, DNA from five different individuals were used for sequencing . The lead scientist of Celera Genomics at that time, Craig Venter, later acknowledged (in a public letter to the journal Science) that his DNA was one of 21 samples in the pool, five of which were selected for use . </P> <P> In 2007, a team led by Jonathan Rothberg published James Watson's entire genome, unveiling the six - billion - nucleotide genome of a single individual for the first time . </P> <P> The work on interpretation and analysis of genome data is still in its initial stages . It is anticipated that detailed knowledge of the human genome will provide new avenues for advances in medicine and biotechnology . Clear practical results of the project emerged even before the work was finished . For example, a number of companies, such as Myriad Genetics, started offering easy ways to administer genetic tests that can show predisposition to a variety of illnesses, including breast cancer, hemostasis disorders, cystic fibrosis, liver diseases and many others . Also, the etiologies for cancers, Alzheimer's disease and other areas of clinical interest are considered likely to benefit from genome information and possibly may lead in the long term to significant advances in their management . </P> <P> There are also many tangible benefits for biologists . For example, a researcher investigating a certain form of cancer may have narrowed down their search to a particular gene . By visiting the human genome database on the World Wide Web, this researcher can examine what other scientists have written about this gene, including (potentially) the three - dimensional structure of its product, its function (s), its evolutionary relationships to other human genes, or to genes in mice or yeast or fruit flies, possible detrimental mutations, interactions with other genes, body tissues in which this gene is activated, and diseases associated with this gene or other datatypes . Further, deeper understanding of the disease processes at the level of molecular biology may determine new therapeutic procedures . Given the established importance of DNA in molecular biology and its central role in determining the fundamental operation of cellular processes, it is likely that expanded knowledge in this area will facilitate medical advances in numerous areas of clinical interest that may not have been possible without them . </P>

To date the effort to map the human genome has