The case for a US prospective cohort study of genes and environment

Abstract

Information from the Human Genome Project will be vital for defining the genetic and environmental factors that contribute to health and disease. Well-designed case–control studies of people with and without a particular disease are essential for this, but rigorous and unbiased conclusions about the causes of diseases and their population-wide impact will require a representative population to be monitored over time (a prospective cohort study). The time is right for the United States to consider such a project.