A DNA Polymorphism for Huntington's Disease Marks the Future

One would like to claim that the Hereditary Disease Foundation showed extraordinary prescience in choosing workshop topics in 1983. But perhaps it was more of the same good fortune that characterized the discovery of a DNA polymorphism closely linked to the gene for Huntington's disease (HD). Feeling confident that the search for a marker was well under way (the topic of previousSee also p 82.workshops during the past five years), the Foundation began to plan for the future, when a marker would be found. A basic research workshop held in May 1983, was entitled "What Can Be Learned About Huntington's Disease Once the Gene Has Been Located?" This workshop took place in Cambridge, Mass, and was chaired by one of us (D.H.) and Richard Mulligan, PhD. The May workshop ended with genuine offers of assistance some five or ten years hence, when a marker would be found, and sobriety for the distance to be traveled.