Leader: Backers needed in scramble to own gene ideas

This week, we know what the human genome is, although omissions remain to be tidied up. We also know that if gene numbers are the criterion, a rice plant is more complex than a human being.

This finding reminds us that a gene is not usually a simple switch for a single task. To produce and run the human body, each gene must carry out many functions, on its own and in combination with others. The genome's 3 billion pieces of genetic information have enough permutations to make winning the National Lottery every week seem simple.

The next stage of finding out which genes do what is when things get interesting. But turning these discoveries into new drugs and other useful technology will be complex. Knowing the genome will not solve the pharmaceutical industry's biggest problem: the amount of time needed to develop and gain approval for new drugs.

Despite the problems, charting the genome will generate property claims going well beyond those we report this week from British universities. Genes, parts of genes and groups of genes will be subject to a land grab that will mean big money for the winners, including universities, as well as profits for companies and benefits for patients.

But defending intellectual property is expensive and time-consuming. It is bound to become more of a management priority and it is to be hoped that the government's new innovation centres will provide some help. The costs are hideous but are far less than the price of missing out.

Whatever the difficulties, charting the human genome is an intellectual and technological tour de force to be celebrated. We may share most of our genes with worms or chimpanzees, but only one species has ever been capable of knowing what a genome is, let alone sequencing it. This is just the beginning of a deluge of knowledge that will not only bring cures and prevention of diseases but will open up understanding of more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of.