The mapping of the human genome in 2000 opened the door to the detailed analysis of genes but experts are still grappling to understand how they interact with lifestyle and environment to determine why some people become sick and others do not.
In the long term, scientists believe the project could improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases and help to explain why certain people react differently to medications.
The 61 million-pound project will be funded by the British government, the Wellcome Trust medical research charity and other sources.
Some researchers have expressed concerns about the design, size and cost of the project, but Collins said he was confident it would produce valuable medical breakthroughs.
A total of around 10 million samples are expected to be collected from the half million volunteers. That genetic data will be cross-referenced against information about patients' subsequent health, obtained with their permission.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=204&ObjectID=10397457
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