It is hard to imagine a more interesting or exciting time in human genetics. Less than ten years after the completion of the first draft of the human genome sequence, we are now poised to determine the sequences of tens of thousands of genomes of people with rare and common diseases, with extreme adverse reactions to drugs, and even just ordinary people to find out what kind of genetic variation they carry.  Over the next few years we will see, for the first time, the full sweep of human genetic variation and how it impacts disease.    We will make definitive connections between mutations and common diseases that help to identify new pathways for the development of new drugs. We will find new diagnostics that will help to predict who will suffer an adverse reaction to an otherwise useful drug.  And we will learn a lot more about what makes even healthy people different from one another.

 

At the Center for Human Genome Variation, we are helping to make this vision a reality through dedicated research programs focused on schizophrenia, epilepsy, infectious disease, as well as a series of important drug responses. We also work hard to improve the basic machinery necessary to characterize and interpret human genetic variation, and to understand the biological consequences of genetic variation.

 

I invite you to a virtual tour of our Center, to meet the faculty, students, and staff that have created this Center from its origins of a group of four people only five short years ago. If you are interested in learning more about the center, please contact us.