Departments
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Week of 3 April 1998 |
Vol. I, No. 26 |
Feature Article
BMC a focus of research into medical genetics
A new Medical Genetics Program has been established at Boston Medical Center under the directorship of Lindsay Farrer, a nationally recognized authority on the genetics of human diseases.
The program will focus on gene identification and discovery among common illnesses and develop new genetics curricula for graduate and medical students and M.D. fellows seeking academic research careers.
"This new genetics program will not only provide us with the tools to successfully tackle complex diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and neuropsychiatric illness, but will also enable us to attract and train the researchers of tomorrow," says Farrer, a professor of medicine, neurology, and public health at BUSM and SPH.
Farrer's research focuses on genetic risk factors for several familial neurodegenerative and other chronic diseases. Under his leadership, the MIRAGE Project, a multicenter study of Alzheimer's disease funded since 1991 by the National Institute on Aging, has made several important contributions to the understanding of the interactions between genetic and environmental factors for Alzheimer's disease. In addition to his research activities, Farrer teaches courses in human genetics and genetic epidemiology and provides genetic counseling and testing to patients with a variety of inherited conditions.