哮喘联盟

   摘要
   本文论及医学基因组学在普通疾病研究中的转化潜力。我们分析了1999年～2008年涉及哮喘研究的13篇综述，试图了解基因组在本领域中的作用和随之而来的变化。受Lippman基因化假说的启发，我们使用“创新之路”这一概念，试图追寻当以基因组为依据的研究出现的时候，动态的共进化过程是如何促进对哮喘的了解、预防、诊断和治疗的。本文揭示哮喘研究者为哮喘研究和临床实践做出了持久的贡献。一直以来，学者们不断对哮喘的定义和流行病学模型进行着修正，即强调基因-基因和基因-环境的相互作用。虽然很难明确基因化的定义，但随着对表观遗传学、代谢组学、蛋白组学和系统生物学的日益重视，基因体现出重要，但尚不确定的地位。

（苏楠 审校）
Sociol Health Illn. 2013 Apr 2. doi: 10.1111/1467-9566.12028. [Epub ahead of print]

 

The innovation journey of genomics and asthma research.

Bitsch L, Stemerding D.

Abstract
This article concerns the transformative potential of medical genomics for common disease research. We analysed 13 review articles in asthma research in the period 1999 to 2008. Our aim was to understand how genomics has emerged in this research field, and the attendant changes. Motivated by Lippman's geneticisation thesis, we use the concept of an 'innovation journey' to trace how expectations of improved understanding, prevention, diagnosis and treatment structure a dynamic co-evolutionary process through which a genome-based discourse emerges. We show how the asthma researchers involved continuously struggle to define their contribution to asthma research, as well as to clinical practice. Along the way, the researchers propose changes to both the definition and the aetiological model of asthma, thus highlighting gene-gene and gene-environment interactions. It is, however, difficult to characterise this discourse as one of geneticisation. With increasing attention being given to epigenetics, metabolomics, proteomics and systems biology, the emerging picture suggests an important, but much less deterministic, role for genes.
 

Sociol Health Illn. 2013 Apr 2. doi: 10.1111/1467-9566.12028. [Epub ahead of print]