Links between genes and diseases

Most diseases are complex. Diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease are examples. These diseases can also lead to other problems. For instance, high blood pressure that is not kept under control can cause kidney disease, stroke, or a heart attack. Many small things add up to cause these diseases. Gene changes you are born with often play a role. Your environment, like the air you breathe, your diet, or how much exercise you get can also factor in. Complex diseases are the biggest cause of our health burden in the U.S. We want to learn more about complex diseases. Scientists at Vanderbilt University Medical Center will focus on gene changes. They will use BioVU and other resources to check for links between gene changes and diseases. They will try to improve how we find these links too. The goal is to better predict who might be at risk for certain conditions. Then, we could do a better job of catching them early. We may even be able to delay or prevent the disease. These results could also help us find better ways to treat these diseases.