A team of Japanese and German scientists has decoded the DNA sequence of a human chromosome containing genes causing diseases that include Down's syndrome, Alzheimer's disease and leukemia, Japanese scientists said.
The data are expected to be useful in developing new types of treatment and medication for patients suffering from these diseases, the scientists said Monday.
The results of the study were to be published on the Internet Tuesday and will also be carried in the May 18 edition of the British science magazine Nature, they said.