DNA of 100,000 people to be mapped for NHS David Cameron says that by 'unlocking the power of DNA data', the NHS will lead the global race for better healthcare. Photograph: Deco Images II/Alamy Up to 100,000 people in England will have their entire genetic makeup mapped in the first stage of an ambitious public health programme the government hopes could revolutionise the treatment and prevention of cancer and other diseases. Ministers have committed an initial £100m for the project, which aims to take advantage of the tumbling cost of mapping an individual's full DNA sequence to make genetic analysis a key component of some medical treatments. During an initial three to five-year period, up to 100,000 people with cancer or certain rare diseases will voluntarily have their DNA mapped. Sir John Bell, professor of medical sciences at Oxford University and the government's adviser on genetics, said the UK hoped to lead the world in the practical applications of DNA mapping, having been "very late to the game" in using other British-developed technologies such as CT and MRI scanning. "We're now getting to the point where the use of genetics in patients can actually help us deliver medicines and understand cancer much better, and to understand a range of diseases in a much more precise way," Bell told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. The first complete map of the human genome, completed in 2003, took more than a decade to complete, at a price of £750m. However, since then the cost of genome sequencing had been "falling off a cliff," making it viable for everyday use, Bell said: "We're headed for £100 a genome. We're not there yet. But that will happen in the very near future. Cancer will be a key target for genetics-based treatments. DNA analysis can detect genetic predisposition to certain rare cancers, but the main aspect would be analysing the way someone's DNA sees a cancer develop, Bell said. An understanding of the genetics of the cancer itself turns out to be crucially important for understanding what's going to happen to you with that cancer and choosing the most appropriate therapies. He added: "It's an issue about being able to manage people's cancers better and more precisely." The project, which could eventually see patients being asked to consent to full DNA mapping as a matter of routine, has support from the top of government, with David Cameron saying the technology could become "a potentially life-saving reality for NHS patients across the country." He said: "It is crucial that we continue to push the boundaries and this new plan will mean we are the first country in the world to use DNA codes in the mainstream of the health service. By unlocking the power of DNA data, the NHS will lead the global race for better tests, better drugs and above all better care. The health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, told Sky News: "This will enable us to make groundbreaking discoveries about how cancer works; about who is susceptible to cancer; how we can head it off; what treatments might work and it's something that I hope will mean we can avoid heartache for thousands of people every year who lose a loved one prematurely because they get a cancer that we simply don't know how to deal with."