A new Program in Human Genetics that will serve as a unified framework for all clinical, teaching and research activities in human genetics on campus has been established at UCSF.

"This new program seeks to bring together all of the activities in human genetics at UCSF to create a synergy and serve as a magnet to bring additional resources and people into human genetics to the campus," said Ira Herskowitz, PhD, UCSF professor of biochemistry and head of the graduate program in genetics. Herskowitz will co-direct the new program with Charles Epstein, MD, a UCSF professor of pediatrics who founded the UCSF Genetics Clinic 30 years ago.

UCSF has been a leading force in the field of genetics for decades. University scientists developed the basic tools for molecular genetics, devised many of the first methods for prenatal testing, developed one of the most commonly used chromosomal tests, made major discoveries in the genetics of cancer, and established the first genetics clinic in the Bay Area, among other achievements. The new program, Epstein said, will serve as a catalyst to bring together scientists, working at both the basic and clinical levels, at a time when genetics is at the forefront of medical inquiry.

"With all of the developments that have taken place with human genomics, it has become clear that genetics impacts all aspects of medicine, including common disorders such as cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, depression and diabetes," Epstein said. "What is changing is our ability to get at the genetic basis of all these disorders. So a lot of things are converging to make it a reasonable time for UCSF to take off."

Although the program is focused on human genetics, it is expected to encompass all aspects of genetics, including scientists working with fruit flies, yeast, worms, zebrafish and mice, as these organisms often can provide insights on the origins of human disease, Epstein said.

"What is remarkable is that one can look at certain human diseases and have a reasonable understanding of what's going on by going back to the fruit fly," he said. "Often the same gene in fruit flies has the same function in humans. So the reasons for researchers in different areas to talk to each other are much greater than before."

The School of Medicine has made a substantial commitment of resources to the program to recruit new faculty members and invest in new equipment, such as DNA sequencers, according to Epstein and Herskowitz. The university hopes to attract between six and 10 new faculty members in genetics within the next five to seven years, they said.

In particular, the university will seek geneticists who are studying complex disorders, such as cancer and coronary artery disease, that involve multiple genetic and environmental influences, as well as scientists in the fields of developmental genetics and the genetics of neurological development. UCSF is already strong in these areas but would like to bring in additional specialists to support its existing efforts, Epstein said. He said the program has the potential to grow into a large-scale, high-profile enterprise that could take the form of a new center or institute on campus.

The expectation is that human geneticists will work alongside scientists in developmental biology, neuroscience and other disciplines, Herskowitz said. "That kind of interaction should never be underestimated. That is what makes things happen," Herskowitz said.

The new program also will have planned activities, such as monthly seminars and an annual retreat, to bring scientists together in a way that will encourage collaboration, he said. The effort will not be restricted to the School of Medicine; researchers from the Schools of Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy could very well have areas of interest that could form the basis for new working relationships, he said. For instance, researchers studying cranio-facial disorders at the School of Dentistry could work together with those involved in developmental genetics, Epstein said.

"The implications of this new program are enormous for everybody," Herskowitz said.

1st appeared 7/18/97