Looking forward to the future of genomics research, we first need to review the unusual course we have experienced. The spiral shown in figure 1 shows a milestone in the important progress of genetics and genomics, which began with the discovery of Mendel's genetic law and its rediscovery in the early 20th century [1]. The establishment of DNA is the material basis of heredity [2], the determination of DNA structure [3], the clarification of genetic code [4], the development of DNA recombination technology [5, 6] and the establishment of DNA sequencing technology with increasing automation [7- 10], which laid the foundation for 1990 to start the human genome project (HGP). Thanks to the foresight of the original designer of this project and the creativity and determination of a large number of talented scientists who are committed to this project, all HGP goals have been achieved at least two years ahead of the original date, and a revolution in biological research has begun.

The new research strategy and experimental technology of this project constantly produce increasingly large and complex genome data, which are loaded into public databases, changing the research of almost all life processes. The progress of technology development and the large-scale establishment of public resource data system from the perspective of genome research have introduced important new directions for biology and biomedical research. The interweaving progress of genetics, comparative genomics, Qualcomm's quantitative biochemistry and bioinformatics provides biologists with a series of excellent research tools, which can make the functions of organisms in health and diseases be analyzed and understood in unprecedented molecular details. Genome sequence is an information complex that guides biological development and function, and it is the core of life science revolution. Simply put, genomics has become the core and inseparable subject of biomedical research.

The practical consequences of this new field are very obvious. It used to be a complicated job to identify the pathogenic genes of human Mendelian genetic diseases, which required the efforts of a huge research team for many years, and it was not always possible to get definite results. Now all you need is a few weeks' routine work of a graduate student, as long as there are DNA samples and corresponding phenotypes, a public genome database connected to the Internet, a PCR instrument and a DNA sequencer. With the newly published complete draft of mouse genome [1 1], it is also very simple to identify gene mutations that lead to a large number of mouse phenotypes. The comparison of the whole gene sequence between human and mouse shows that the part of mammalian genome that bears the pressure of evolutionary selection is more than twice as much as expected.

With the completion of each subsequent genome sequencing, our ability to explore genome functions becomes more and more detailed. Gene chip technology has enabled many laboratories to complete the expression study of one or two genes in the previous month, and now thousands of genes can be expressed in one afternoon [12]. Gene-based early diagnosis of diseases and identification of adverse drug reactions are constantly emerging in clinic. The great hope of genomics in the therapeutic field has attracted an exciting stage of expansion and development in the commercial field [13]. The investment of the Human Genome Project in studying the ethical, legal and social issues of these scientific achievements has also produced a number of outstanding scholars in ethics, law, social sciences, clinical research, theology and public policy. At the same time, it has greatly enhanced public concern in this field and introduced a preliminary (though still imperfect) prevention mechanism to prevent abuses such as genetic discrimination (see www.genome.gov/PolicyEthics).

These achievements have completed the grand idea of "Mapping and Sequencing of Human Genome" reported by 1988 National Research Council. The successful completion of the human genome project this year provides a good opportunity to look into the future and draw a blueprint for genome research in the next few years.

This prospect describes a world completely different from the earlier plans published by 1990, 1993 and 1998 (reference 15- 17). In those articles, according to the goal of 1988 report, the development direction of genome analysis technology, the construction of genome physics and genetic map, the detailed ways of whole genome sequencing of model organisms and finally human genome sequencing are defined. Now, after successfully achieving these goals, we have put forward a broader and more ambitious prospect, which is suitable for the real beginning of the genome era. The challenge we face is to use the great potential of the human genome project to improve human health and make human beings survive better.

Expounding this new prospect is an opportunity to explore new ways beneficial to human health. Although genome-based analysis methods are rapidly infiltrating into the field of biomedical research, the challenge of establishing an effective way from genome information to human health improvement is still enormous. At present, the efforts to meet this challenge are mainly focused on the research of special diseases, such as the research institute specializing in diseases under the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the tasks of many other national or international governments and charitable organizations supporting medical research. The National Human Genome Institute (NHGRI) is a relatively small member of NIH (less than 2% from the perspective of NIH budget), and it will work closely with all these organizations to explore and support these biomedical research capabilities. In addition, NHGRI will play a more direct role in these in-hospital and out-of-hospital projects, applying genome sequence information to the improvement of human health.