What significance does the discovery of human genes have for disease prevention and health promotion?
Virtually all human diseases result from the interaction of genetic variation with environmental factors, such as behaviors and exposures. Due to the Human Genome Project and other research efforts, most – if not all – of the estimated 35,000 human genes will be found in the next decade. Gene variants have already been identified which play a role in childhood diseases (e.g., cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, asthma), chronic diseases (e.g., cancer, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer s disease), occupational diseases (e.g., bladder cancer), and infectious diseases (e.g., HIV/AIDS).
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