Estonia will soon begin setting up one of the world's first country-wide gene banks where the detailed genetic codes of two-thirds of the population will be stored.

The depository, which will take five years and 200 million dollars to complete, would help scientists link genes to diseases and would enable Estonians to benefit from personalized, gene-specific drugs in the future, officials said. Scientists believe breakthroughs in the study of genes, which make up the blueprint of how the human body develops, could dramatically improve knowledge of illnesses and open the way for revolutionary new medications. Estonia (pop. 1.4 million) says its small size makes it easier to collect the large number of gene samples required by researchers. The only other nation that has launched a similar project is Iceland (pop. 270,000). Estonia's Cabinet on August 8 approved the project and submitted a bill to parliament limiting access to the gene data to researchers and forbidding access to employers or insurance firms, government spokesman Priit Poiklik said. The project is expected to get fully underway in 2001, when people will be asked to give blood samples to their family doctors and provide detailed family medical histories. Surveys found that 90 percent of Estonians were willing to take part, meaning the genes of at least 1 million people would be stored, said Andres Rannamae, head of Estonia's Genome Foundation which drew up the project details.