Once we all have our genomes, some of these extremely rare diseases are going to be totally predictable.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
There is no doubt that environmentally related diseases will continue to pose problems in the future.
Even if we never cure a single disease, the Human Genome Project and other ventures will have been worth it.
We need 10,000 genomes, not 100, to start to understand the link between genetics, disease and wellness.
There have been lots of stories written about all the hype over getting the genome done and the letdown of not discovering lots of cures right after.
There is a long history of how DNA sequencing can bring certainty to people's lives.
We can now diagnose diseases that haven't even manifested in the patient, and may not until the fifth decade of life - if at all.
If you find diseases before they've really emerged, you can control them early on, before you get a major epidemic.
The overall view of the human genome project has been one of great excitement and positive press, but there are people who have concerns that are quite reasonable, and they are frightened of things they don't understand.
Pandemics do not occur randomly. From malaria and influenza to AIDS and SARS, the lethal microbes have come, in the first instance, from animals, especially wild animals. And we increasingly know which parts of the world pose the greatest risk for future incursions.
Things look especially bleak for common killers such as diabetes and heart disease. Those ailments clearly have a genetic component. But when scientists survey genes looking for which mutations patients have in common, they come up empty.