What is the relationship between understanding the genetic basis of a disease and treating the disease?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The purpose of the 1000 Genomes Project "is to provide a comprehensive public resource that supports researchers aiming to study…genetic variation that might cause human disease. [It seeks to] integrat[e] data on all types of variation that might cause human disease." Its samples come (with informed consent) from many different populations. There is no restriction on the free use of the data collected. In 2010, the 1000 Genomes Project published a map of genetic differences, which may help to explain susceptibility to disease
From 3,000 to 4,000 diseases are caused by errors in genes. Altered genes also contribute to the development of other disorders, such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. The Human Genome Project (HGP) expects to be able to identify such genes, which might make prevention, early detection, and treatment possible. Once the gene is identified, drugs can be designed. Treatment may include gene therapy to replace the defective gene or the development of drugs. However, the identification of a disease-related gene is simply a starting point for research. For example, one of the genes related to stroke was identified in 2003, but according to Dr. Jonathan Rosand, a stroke specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital, it "is unlikely to yield new treatments any time soon." And more than 20 years after the beginning of the HGP, this has proven true. Relatively few effective treatments have been associated with the findings of the HGP. The genetic link is only one small part of fully understanding and treating disease. For example, family history is a better predictor than genetics for heart disease.