Even if the human genome is entirely sequenced, including a variety of polymorphisms, the human genome project is by far not finalised. Far from it!. One of the recent aims of genome research is the identification of the function of genes and their products. A network of various disciplines within molecular biology is being established to disclose the secrets.






The goal of Genomics is to promote the understanding of the structure, function and evolution of genomes in all kingdoms of life and the application of genome sciences and technologies to challenging problems in biology and medicine.
Transcriptomics or global analysis of gene expression, also called genome-wide expression profiling, is one of the tools that is used to get an understanding of genes and pathways involved in biological processes. The idea underlying this approach is called guilt by association, which means that genes showing similarity in expression pattern may be functionally related and under the same genetic control mechanism. Popular tools of tra  nscriptomics are DNA microarrays or gene chips.

Proteomics is the large-scale study of proteins, particularly their structures and functions. Proteins are vital in living organisms, as they are the main components of the physiological pathways of cells. The term "proteomics" was coined to make an analogy with genomics, the study of the genes. The proteome of an organism is the set of proteins produced by it during its life and its genome is its set of genes. The proteome of a cell under a particular stimulation is the set of proteins in it. The word "proteome" derives from "proteins" and "genome", since the genome encodes proteins.
Epigenetics is used to refer to additional methods of biological inheritance that do not directly relate to the inheritance of collections of genes. More specifically, it can refer to reversible, heritable changes in gene regulation that occur without a change in DNA sequence (genotype). These changes (e.g. methylations) may be induced spontaneously, in response to environmental factors, or in response to the presence of a particular allele, even if it is absent from subsequent generations. Epigenetics includes the study of effects that are inherited from one cell generation to the next whether these occur in embryonic morphogenesis, regeneration, normal turnover of cells, tumours, cell culture, or the replication of single celled organisms.
Epigenomics is the science investigating the overall epigenetic state of a cell. For further information visit also The Welcome Trust Sanger Institute.

Recent scientific and financial interest has been focussed on the compatibility or incompatibility of food components, vitamins and trace elements. This research field is called nutrigenomics. Goal of Nutrigenomic is to develop foods suitable for individual human genotypes to improve or maintain their overall-fitness. One more emphasis of nutrigenomics lies in the development of so-called functional food, which includes foodstuff-additives such as drugs or vitamin concentrates as well as the regulation of nutrient uptake. Presently, nutrigenomics is supported by the European Union with about 18 million a year. For further information visit also Nutrigenomics New Zealand.