Human Genetics

Human genetics studies the process of human evolution and the structure of our genome. The genome is the DNA contained in a single cell. The human genome contains all the human genes within the human chromosome and is composed of over three billion nucleotides, the molecules that make up the structural units of DNA.

Human genetics explains where different physical features and ethnic groups in mankind come from. It is also the key to understand and successfully treat many diseases. The human genome has been studied in depth during the 13-year Human Genome Project coordinated by the US Department of Energy and the National Institute of Health.

State of the art and future of human genetics

What is DNA used for today

Today DNA is mostly used for forensic and pathological purposes. It can help confirming the identity of a person or the relationship between two persons (for example, father-son), or it is used to prevent and treat diseases. DNA technology is achieving new groundbreaking applications every day. Today we probably can't even imagine how DNA is going to be used in the future.

How we sample and preserve DNA

Collecting a DNA sample requires a simple mouth swab. Being DNA one of nature's most stable molecules, it requires basic techniques and treatment to be preserved forever: just think that DNA molecules have been extracted from the Neanderthal man, the remains of a human body aged 70,000 years old.

Future applications of DNA

It is hard to say what we will be able to do with our preserved DNA in the future. However, many applications which we thought to be impossible only few years ago are today routine: let's think at the genetic therapy or at the use of stem cells technology in the regeneration process of human tissues.