Up to 100,000 patients with cancer and rare diseases are to have their DNA fully mapped as part of a drive to revolutionise NHS treatment.

The Government has earmarked 100 million for the project in England over the next three to five years in a bid to develop new tests and better care that could save thousands of lives.

David Cameron said he wanted to "push the boundaries" by introducing genetic sequencing to a mainstream health service for the first time.

"Britain has often led the world in scientific breakthroughs and medical innovations, from the first CT scan and test-tube baby through to decoding DNA," he said.

"It is crucial that we continue to push the boundaries and this new plan will mean we are the first country in the world to use DNA codes in the mainstream of the health service.

"By unlocking the power of DNA data, the NHS will lead the global race for better tests, better drugs and above all better care. We are turning an important scientific breakthrough into a potentially life-saving reality for NHS patients across the country."

The Government's Chief Medical Officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies, said the NHS already analysed single genes in cancer tests and to check patients' risk of suffering side effects from treatment.

"At the moment, these tests focus on diseases caused by changes in a single gene," she said. "This funding opens up the possibility of being able to look at the three billion DNA pieces in each of us so we can get a greater understanding of the complex relationship between our genes and lifestyle."

The 100 million, which comes from existing NHS budgets, will go on training genetic scientists, mapping patients' DNA, and creating systems for handling the information.

Patients will be asked for permission before their DNA is sequenced, and data will be anonymised before it is stored.

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£100m project to map patients' DNA