The speed of discovery in genetics is now so great that it would be impossible to predict what will happen in the next five years, let alone the next fifty years. Most geneticists would agree with Francis Collins (2006), the director of the US National Human Genome Research Institute and leader in the Human Genome Project, who expects that we will each have an electronic chip with our DNA sequence. Individual DNA chips will herald a revolution in personalized medicine in which treatment is individually tailored rather than one-size-fits-all. The greatest value of DNA lies in its ability to predict genetic risk which can lead to preventative interventions. That is, rather than treating problems after they occur, DNA will make it possible to predict problems and to intervene to prevent problems. Genetics can help to target children at genetic risk who are most likely to profit from interventions, which is important because successful prevention programmes usually require extensive and intensive, and thus expensive, interventions. Interventions could conceivably involve genetic engineering that alters DNA although so far gene therapy in the
