Scientists search for root causes of disease begin to enter 'net-up period'

2007, scientists found the genetic roots of a number of commondiseasesThe American journal Science announced this year that research to find disease-causing genes is beginning to enter the "net-up period", after years of setbacks, "genetic hunters feel that they have finally pushed their prey to a dead end."In the past year or two, research on thepathogenesis of commondiseases such as type I and type 2 diabetes, schizophrenia, depression, enteritis, glaucoma, obesity, rheumatoid arthritis,hypertension, coronary heart disease, breast cancer, bowel cancer and prostate cancer has emerged at a rate unprecedented in the history of life sciencesFor example, an international team of researchers reported in March that they had discovered that about 120 new genetic variants were linked to cancerBritish scientists also announced in June that they had identified 24 genes linked toof seven commondiseases, including depression,high blood pressureThe British journal Nature commented this year that "the race to discover disease-causing genes has gone viral"Technological breakthroughs are the main cause of this situationGenome-wide correlation analysis methods, advances in gene chip technology, and plummeting cost of gene sequencing have given scientists more powerful tools to hunt the root causes of disease, leading to the proliferation of research results in recent yearsOn the website of the British journal Nature Genetics, editors have asked geneticists the "question of the year" of 2007: What would it mean if the cost of sequencing the human genome were reduced to $1,000? With the introduction of new technology, the cost of sequencing the human genome to $1,000 is no longer a question of whether it is possible or what, the editors saySuch a problem was difficult to imagine four years ago The Human Genome Project, completed in 2003, took 13 years and cost $3 billion In May, James Watson, one of the discoverers of the double helix structure of DNA,oxicogen iced, became the first person in the world to have an individual genome map , and it took just two months to "decipher" his genome and cost $1 million At this rate, perhaps the era of personalized medicine is no longer far away At that point, your doctor will be able to design a personalized medical solution for you by analyzing your genome map One of the most optimistic predictions is that this may become a reality in just 10 years With the deepening of research, scientists' understanding of the genetics of common diseases has changed profoundly Scientists have re-examined traditional ideas about genes and genetics in an attempt to understand disease from a new perspective In October, scientists released the most detailed map of human genome differences to date, studying not the genetically significant fragments of DNA——— genes, but the base differences between the basic components of DNA ——— single nucleotides, known as single nucleotide polymorphisms Scientists say it is this single nucleotide polymorphism that makes everyone different, such as why some people are susceptible to a disease and others are immune Lee Silver, a professor at Princeton University in the United States, told Newsweek this year that some life scientists now believe that the basic unit that determines genetic phenomena is single nucleotide polymorphism, not genes, because of the difficulty of genetically interpreting life The rapid advances in technology and theory show that new major breakthroughs are brewing in life sciences With the hunting of the root causes of disease and other work began to "net", life science is expected in the near future ushered in a large harvest period, there will be more life science seisofting for the benefit of mankind