‘Very little yield’: has genetically targeted medicine really made us healthier?

Billions were sunk into the Human Genome Project and the promise of precision treatments personalised to the individual. Now many believe the money might have been better spent on public health interventions

After spending 13 years and $2.7bn, the Human Genome Project announced in 2003 that it had successfully mapped our DNA, paving the way for a new era of medicine that would deliver the right treatment, for the right patient, at the right time".

The UK's then health secretary, John Reid, welcomed the news by echoing a popular belief at the time. Genetics promises a more personalised approach to healthcare," he said. With interventions tailored to each person's own genetic profile."