To see the full interview of Francis Collins on 'The Colbert Report,' click here.
Francis S. Collins
An activist, mentor, leader, geneticist—and amateur musician—Francis S. Collins led the effort to discover the three billion letters of DNA needed to build a human being. Conducting the Human Genome Project, Collins shaped an intellectual community based on scientists respect for one another. His goal was making the decoding of the genetic code a positive contribution to humankind.
By 2003, the Human Genome Project had unlocked the coding in human DNA. Along with that decoding, scientists found 1,700 or more genes for various diseases, both common and complex. Medicine can now use the discovery to reveal new cures. For Americans age 50+, in fact even for those 80+, the mapping of the human genome will mean innovative treatments for everything from age-related macular degeneration to osteoporosis and heart disease.
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