Jan L. Breslow
Jürg Ott
Michael W. Young

The Starr Center for Human Genetics applies emerging technologies in human genetics to search for genes that are causal in the genesis of human disease. These efforts will integrate genetic and clinical research at the university and enhance studies in human biology.

The application of new technologies stemming from the Human Genome Project is anticipated to revolutionize our understanding of basic principles of human biology and disease. Indeed, the combination of advances in molecular genetics and the implementation of strategies of sufficient scale make it possible to identify human disease genes for complex disorders. Genetic information can also be used to stratify genetically complex diseases with respect to clinical features, disease outcome and therapeutic response.

The large, ethnically diverse population available in New York City provides an opportunity for comprehensive genetic analysis of human disease, especially as preliminary efforts elsewhere have been skewed toward the analysis of families of western European descent. Thus, the program in human genetics should occupy a critical niche in future genetic research. Current studies focus on obesity, hearing loss, type II diabetes, mental illness and heart disease. Additional genetic studies are carried out in collaboration with the Department of Health on the island of Kosrae. Kosrae is a Pacific island, and aspects of its history make it a potentially valuable site for analyzing the genetic basis of obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

The center comprises three cores: (1) a clinical core, which collects families in which a particular disease is present; (2) a genotyping core, which performs genetic analysis of DNA from family researchers; and (3) an informatics core, which collects and analyzes the genetic data. The coordinated activities of these three cores facilitate genetic studies for clinical researchers. The resources of The Rockefeller University Hospital are important in the implementation of the centerŐs goals, as is the existing expertise on the campus. In the long term, the center will benefit other investigators at the university by facilitating pursuit of the clinical implications of basic research.