As companies began to apply for patents on great swathes of genetic markers for these traits, especially the tiny variations called SNPs, top institutions and pharmaceuticals companies became so concerned that they set up the SNP Consortium.

• 在研究人员还没有排列出人类染色体前，这些人就已经开始鉴别基因的变异，以便让医生可以诊断一个特定的病人是不是对患上心脏病特别敏感，或者说，是不是能有一种特效药对他们起作用。