Every year on April 25, an unusual holiday is celebrated in different countries of the world – the International DNA Day (DNA Day), in recognition of the importance of genetics and scientific achievements made in this field.

This date was chosen in memory of the fact that on April 25, 1953, in the journal Nature, scientists James Watson and Francis Crick, together with Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin, published the results of a study of the DNA molecule structure.

Exactly 50 years later, on April 25, 2003, it was announced that human genome decoding project was nearing completion. Additional analysis of some parts of the genome is still incomplete, but the main work on the project has been completed. Determining the structure of human genes is an important step for the development of healthcare. DNA is deoxyribonucleic acid. It is in DNA that the genetic information of a person is stored, and it is this test that is one of the most popular for establishing family ties.

99% of the genes in humans are the same, but at the same time we don't all look the same and we all have different constitutions and different health conditions. 1% of DNA determines all the phenotypic diversity of humanity, makes us unique, and also determines the severity of the development of diseases and the effectiveness of treatment.

Sequencing the first human genome was a huge project — Human Genome Project. It took 13 years and $3 billion was spent on it.

It is known that genetics is the key to history. In 2013, the interdisciplinary program "People in the flow of history" was developed, where historians and genetics of Kazakhstan joined together. According to this program, the genetic code of Kazakhs is studied. According to archaeological excavations, Kazakh shezhire, DNA of the peoples living on the territory of Kazakhstan is studied by molecular genetics method. This project gives awareness of the importance of Kazakh’s in world history.

Today, there are DNA centers in any city of Kazakhstan where DNA analysis can be done: establishing paternity, confirming kinship, DNA screenings, diagnostics of various infectious, parasitic, hereditary diseases.