Genomics could provide a new way to develop DNA vaccines for malaria, which, if successful, could be applied toward other diseases. DNA vaccines are fundamentally different from traditional ones, Hoffman notes. The difference in this approach is that we would be receiving DNA that encodes a substance and asking our bodies to make a protein in response to it. However, this approach, while potentially flexible, is also more complex. Also, the malaria genome can hardly be described as simple.
Genomic science can play a key role in the first strategy.
That information could quickly help health workers decide what, if any, existing vaccines could be deployed, and provide clues about how to make new ones. Young emphasized the need to build up a stockpile of vaccines and antibacterials. As part of an ad hoc committee, Young presented his recommendations to President Bill Clinton in 1998. Such steps will help researchers to understand the pathogenicity of infectious disease. Applying genetics to taxonomy can provide a better view of biodiversity, noted Norman R. Pace , University of California at Berkeley professor of microbial biology.