[Establishment of evidence based health care for common diseases based on genetic epidemiological approach]

With the end of the Human Genome Project, we can foresee on the horizon the molecular dissection of common diseases, although we could not have imagined such a possibility even 10 years before. As byproducts of the human genome project, molecular dissection enables us to provide evidence-based health care against common diseases: therapies will become more specific and effective than before against individual health risks associated with genetic diversities. In the present paper, I will briefly sketch state-of-the-art genetic linkage analysis for common diseases and discuss inherent difficulties which hamper our approach. Emphasis should be put on some advantages of our country for genetic studies, where our local communities still preserves old genetic backgrounds. Such a unique feature will facilitate genetic dissections of not only rare hereditary diseases but also common diseases, paving the way for genetic epidemiology in the next 10 years.