The Human Proteome Project: Unlocking the Mysteries of Human Life and Unleashing Its Potential

Imagine a future clandestine operation where a lone government operative checks into the Presidential Suite of a luxury hotel in downtown Paris where three days earlier the Prime Minister of an unfriendly regime also stayed. The agent collects hair from the shower drain, places it in an airtight container before enjoying a nice meal and restful nights sleep. The next day, the hairs arrive back at the lab where DNA sequencing and proteomic data generation follows. A week later, the Prime Minister is shaking hands following a speech in Amsterdam when he encounters an elderly woman seeking to greet him. He recoils slightly at the excessive perfume he notes emanating from her direction. Being a consummate politician, he calmly greets her and moves on. Unknowingly, the Prime Minister just inhaled perfume laced with an opioid-like, performance-degradation agent developed to bind receptors in his brain based on his specific genetic and proteomic make-up. Over the next few days, during the final weapons treaty negotiation meetings, his closest staff members note his increased lethargy, decreased assertiveness and unusual level of agreeableness with the opposing nations Prime Minister.