Millions spent, but genetic cures have proved to be a false dawn, says scientist

Published on Tuesday 21 April 2009 22:08

DOUBTS about the future direction of genetic research were voiced yesterday as scientists questioned the lack of progress made towards cures for common diseases.

Millions of pounds have been invested in major studies in the UK searching for genetic clues to conditions such as cancer, diabetes and multiple sclerosis.

But a leading geneticist yesterday expressed disappointment over discoveries made so far in genetic studies, suggesting a new approach was needed to make the best use of the vast sums pumped into the sector.

His comments are of particular relevance in Scotland, where hundreds of millions of pounds are spent in the booming life sciences sector.

Projects such as Generation Scotland are also collecting genetic from thousands of Scots to discover more about inherited illnesses.

Professor Steve Jones said the belief that genetic research could quickly provide a remedy for conditions such as cancer and diabetes had been "unfounded".

He said that in most cases individual genes gave little information about the real risk of illness. In reality, genes probably have a much lower effect on illness than factors such as diet, lifestyle and the environment, he added.

Prof Jones, head of the biology department at University College London, suggested new approaches were needed to make the best use of funding. He said "We thought it (genetic research] was going to change our lives but that has turned out to be a false dawn. Just a couple of years ago, there was real optimism that a new era of understanding was around the corner. That did not last long, for hubris has been replaced with concern."

The academic said a pack of "renegade biologists" had questioned the path being taken in genetic research.

Prof Jones said that there was a need to abandon the "scattergun" approach to the work, where specific genes were surveyed in thousands of people. Instead, he said it would be better off reading the entire genetic genome of a smaller group of people to understand in detail what might have gone wrong.

Genetic research attracted significant funding after scientists successfully mapped the entire human genome – our complete genetic make-up – in 2003. The genome is wound into the well-recognised double helix structure.

David Lonsdale, assistant director of CBI Scotland, said concerns such as those raised by Prof Jones should not detract from efforts to support Scotland's life sciences industry.

He said: "This is a very important part of industry in Scotland and an area we support strongly. It has been identified as one of the sectors which is seen as most important in Scotland. It is a real strength that we have and one of our brightest prospects.

"We should continue to make sure funding and support goes into this sector to support the important work that is being done."

Darren Monckton, professor of human genetics at Glasgow University, also said the technology was now moving towards a situation where more genome-wide analysis was cost-effective.

He said: "What we do know is still limited and there is a lot more to be found out."

The Wellcome Trust has spent 60 million on genome-wide studies since 2005.

Professor Peter Donnelly, chairman of the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium, said their own research had yielded a wealth of genes linked to disease – including revealing how complex the conditions are.

BIO-DIVERSITY

THE life sciences industry is a major contributor to the Scottish economy.

The sector is made up of more than 620 organisations with over 31,000 employees.

According to Life Sciences Scotland, the industry adds over 3 billion to the Scottish economy annually.

Overall, Scotland is home to 20 per cent of the UK life sciences companies.

The nation's universities, research institutes and colleges attract about 410 million of research funding for life sciences per year – some 13 per cent of the UK total. Major developments in the life sciences sector in Scotland in the last year include the start of construction of the new 60 million Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh. The facility, formed a central part of the wider Edinburgh BioQuarter.

Another major centre for life sciences is Dundee University.

Analysis: Genetic research has made important contributions, but is no final answer

Professor David Hume

I BELIEVE that some of what Steve Jones says is true, and he makes valid points about genetic research in the past few years.

However, I don't think that anyone in the research community expected genetics would be the kind of panacea he says we expected it would be.

What our own research, published recently, showed is that there are hundreds of interacting genes in the immune system. So we know there are hundreds of different ways in which that system could be manipulated or go wrong.

If we had not studied the genetic variations between people, we would not be able to understand what individual genetic variation does contribute, or how genes interact with each other.

We have also always known that environment plays a role in susceptibility to disease, so what Prof Jones is saying is nothing new. He is shooting down a straw man.

It was a reasonable hypothesis that there would be a small number of genes of large effect that contribute to common diseases and it had to be tested. It wasn't right.

But most geneticists would have told you it wouldn't be right before we started. For the small number of people who thought this was going to solve problems overnight, they have been proven wrong.

But for the vast majority of geneticists, what we have discovered is an absolute goldmine of information about individual variation that is changing our whole world.

In that respect, I think that Professor Jones is completely wrong.

The investment has paid off massively. I think that eventually the findings will lead to treatments that will be tailored to individuals.

I am optimistic that future research in this area is going to change the way we think about genetics. And it will translate not only into human medicine, but into solving the major challenges of improving our animals and plants to feed the world in the future.

• Professor David Hume is the director of the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh.