alone better treatment, of the disorder. Genetics augments but does not replace the other key elements in drug development, and does not remove the many other hurdles (Filippich et al., 2013; Hyman, 2014; Pratt et al., 2012; Winchester et al., 2014). But at least the genetic findings provide a strong rationale for, and firm foundations on which to build, the next generation of studies, as we sequence rather than sample the genome, integrate genomics with the other ‘omics’, develop new analytical and bioinformatic tools, discover how genes interact with each other and with the environment, and clarify how the genes and their variants actually drive the pathophysiology. It is to be hoped that these opportunities encourage further academic and pharmaceutical investments. The potential benefits and rewards are huge – and put the scale, expense, and risk of the undertaking into proportion.
