Concerns (The Scientist, Vol:10, #6, p. 1 & 8-9, March 18, 1996)
The deluge of gene discovery has inspired hundreds of industry and academic research programs to develop tests for disease genes (see accompanying story). Meanwhile, basic scientists are seeking to explain how those genes work. Both sides have been expressing concern over looming disease gene issues. Open to question, for example, is how much researchers actually know about the cellular explanation for any disease gene's effect, the reliability of a genetic test in predicting disease, and where such tests fit in the overall scheme of disease research.
ACCELERATING: David Schlessinger of Washington University sees the pace of gene discovery rapidly increasing. "My sense is that we have a rudimentary understanding of how any change in a gene results in different characteristics in individuals," remarks Eric Winer, codirector of the Multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Program at Duke University. "We still don't ...
