More than 1,000 people have participated in the pilot phase of the project "The Genome of Bulgaria", which aims to collect and analyze a representative sample of genomes from contemporary Bulgarians. With this initiative, Bulgaria will contribute to a large European project, in which each country will present a reference genome typical for its population. DNA will be isolated from the blood samples collected for the project, and whole genome sequencing will be done to identify all variations in the genomes of the participants, reported BNR’s Horizont channel.

Through this initiative, we will gain a better understanding of how our DNA influences our health, what is the risk of developing different genetic diseases, which diseases we are more predisposed to, and which ones we have innate resistance to. The initiative will also help identify which therapies are likely to be effective and which may not be as effective. According to the scientists working on the project, the collected data will allow for better prevention and diagnosis of various diseases.

Later, Bulgaria is also expected to participate in the large-scale project "The Genome of Europe".