Dear Friends:
We have learned a lot about the genetic makeup of human
beings through the Human Genome Project. We now know that humans have
approximately 35,000 genes that produce some 100,000 proteins. It is these
proteins that control the structure and function of all the organ systems
that involve human life. Soon the identification of genetic abnormalities
will identify disease in its incipient stages and will tell which patients
will respond to drugs and which ones may have drug toxicity. An
understanding of genetic and environmental interactions will be enhanced.
This explosion of knowledge is largely a result of research support from
the National Institutes of Health, along with substantial support from
private sources.
The National Institutes of Health budget for research was
$28 million in 1946. By 1958, the year I graduated from medical school, it
had risen to $150 million. By 1955, $11 billion was devoted to biomedical
research. It is estimated that $27 billion will be spent on biomedical research
in 2003. There are now 11 National Institutes of Health, including the
National Institute on Aging.
I see a day where molecular biology will explain the
mechanisms of COPD, along with other troublesome diseases. Genetic studies
will be the focus of disease prevention and strategies for early diagnosis
and treatment. It will guide therapies for the future. Thus, what's in our genes
will determine how we live and breath tomorrow.
I'll be in touch next month.
Your friend,
