A recently conducted study has helped researchers better understand the DNA of Icelanders. Researchers in the study considered a single nation as participants and country as a laboratory.

In order to find new drugs and understand more deeply the evolution of humans, scientists at Amgen's DeCode Genetics sequenced the genomes of more than 1 in every 100 people in the Iceland.

Biopharmaceuticals company Amgen's study followed a theory that mutant genes might unlock the secrets of future medicine by finding rare human outliers whose DNA protects them from ailments that others suffer.

According to the company, the wide-scale genome sequencing can produce many more drug targets. In DeCode's studies, scientists sequenced the genomes of 2,636 Icelanders and identified more than 20 million genetic variants.

Kari Stefansson, CEO of DeCode and the senior author of four papers published Wednesday in Nature Genetics said that the new research revealed several genetic mutation that are linked to disease such as thyroid disorders and liver diseases.

Researchers during the study also found genetic variations that increase the risks of Alzheimer's disease, and an erratic, potentially deadly heart rate known as atrial fibrillation.

Amgen, the Thousand Oaks, California-based biotechnology company, paid $415 million for Reykjavik, Iceland-based DeCode two years ago.

Stefansson said, "The next big initiative in health care in the western parts of the world is going to come through the use of genetics. You can basically trace all human diversity, the risk of disease and the response to treatment".

He said that their organization is a source of answers to complicated questions about the cause of disease.

As per experts, researchers were able to reach their conclusions because Iceland's population of about 324,000 has relatively little genetic variation as compared to other countries like US.