The trial in question has been paid for by Merck, a large American drug company, to test one of its own cholesterol-lowering drugs.

ECONOMIST: Trial and error

Based on these findings, Celera sells a diagnostic gene test that purports to identify patients who can benefit from cholesterol lowering drugs.

FORBES: Gene Test For Heart Disease May Be Useless

The object was to test whether treating patients early and aggressively with a cholesterol-lowering drug would prevent them from having a second heart attack, having a stroke, returning to the hospital or dying.

FORBES: Cholesterol Study Poses Dangers For Merck

"The results of the research encourage me to believe that the use of an SAT-type test could complement achievement tests such as A-levels and could broaden intake to British universities without lowering standards, " he said.

BBC: Study backs talent-spotting tests