I want Britain at the forefront of world science. My reason for addressing you today is to place firmly on record my support for science and my determination not to let us slip into any form of anti-science. There is as yet little wider public understanding of the revolutionary potential of biotechnology. The mapping of the human genome has revealed the future of a revolution in genetic medicine which can transform our health prospects. As populations grow and people's expectations of their health increase, the world will be more and more in need of the kind of solutions that biotechnology can offer.
Biotechnology can deliver better, more effective medicines.
It can improve food production, including in the developing world. It can help to clean up our environment. Biotechnology offers the chance to change medicine forever. To move from diagnose and treat to detect and prevent. While disease and illness will always be with us, we will in future be able to tackle many diseases even before they've had a chance to manifest themselves.