The case for a US prospective cohort study of genes and environment.
Information from the Human Genome Project will be vital for defining the genetic and environmental factors that contribute to health and disease. Well-designed case-control studies of people with and without a particular disease are essential for this, but rigorous and unbiased conclusions about the causes of diseases and their population-wide impact will require a representative population to be monitored over time (a prospective cohort study). The time is right for the United States to consider such a project.
Collins
Francis S
FS
National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Building 31, Room 4B09, MSC 2152, 31 Center Drive, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-2152, USA. fc23a@nih.gov
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004777:Environment; D005826:Genetics, Medical / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014481:United States