Editorials in 2019

As the year comes to a close and we start to look ahead to 2020, we thought that we would highlight some of our favorite Nature Genetics papers from 2019. This snapshot also captures some of the topics and themes in genetics that we are most excited to see develop in the near future.

Popular crop plants have been bred and selected for desirable taste and color traits. Genomic approaches are increasingly being used to provide insights into the origins, evolution and biology of our favorite foods. Large-scale sequencing efforts have brought agriculture genomics into the big-data era, leading to sweet rewards.

Understanding how to biologically interpret the loci identified in genome-wide association studies is a major goal of current genetics research. To achieve this goal, we need to understand where, when and how relevant genes are expressed in specific contexts, in order to explore the mechanistic links between genetic associations and diseases or complex traits.

The genome of the model genetic organism Pisum sativum, or pea plant, links nineteenth-century genetics to twenty-first-century genomics, serving as a symbol of how far the genetics field has developed and how greatly technologies have advanced. Almost every student’s introduction to genetics currently involves learning Mendel’s laws; we envision that genomics and genome sequencing will become just as foundational in the education of future geneticists.

Record high temperatures are being seen worldwide, thus placing strains on human health and disrupting the availability of essential resources such as food and water. Aberrant weather patterns in the form of intense storms or prolonged drought have put pressure on our agricultural systems and underscored the need for adaptation to a changing climate across many sectors. Complex problems require complex solutions, and genetic approaches could be a powerful tool for helping to mitigate the effects of climate change.

We are constantly amazed by the power of genetics and its ability to solve complex and seemingly intractable problems. The creative application of genetic and genomic analyses to diverse areas has led to advances across basic biology and human disease. We hope to continue to see technologies develop that expand the genetic and genomic toolkit and that bring new discoveries and insights into basic and applied research.

In the field of infectious diseases, genomics can be a useful tool for guiding vaccine development. Given the inevitability and increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance, vaccines against pathogenic microbes can be even more valuable than antibiotics as a strategy to prevent serious or deadly infectious diseases. Genomic resources from global analysis of large numbers of clinical isolates can serve as a basis for identifying appropriate candidates for vaccine antigens, and we encourage continued efforts in the generation of pan-genome sequences for bacterial or viral pathogens.

The field of cancer genomics is currently in an exciting and fast-paced era. With advances in sequencing technologies, computational approaches and tumor models, understanding of cancer processes is at an all-time high, and the application of new methods to studying cancer holds great promise for developing important breakthroughs in cancer treatment and prevention.

Genetic resources and analyses overwhelmingly center on individuals of European ancestry. We encourage the community to embrace a global approach to genetic and genomic studies to address imbalances in the composition of cohorts and the subsequent translatability of findings.

The development of CRISPR–Cas technology and its applications in biomedical research have generated much excitement. If fully realized, this technology has the potential to help treat or prevent severe diseases. However, these tools also carry considerable risk if improperly used. The scientific community must promote constructive dialogue among its members and within society at large to ensure that research on genome editing is conducted responsibly.

Ensuring that agricultural production meets the goal of feeding a world experiencing continued human population growth and increasingly severe effects from climate change is an urgent challenge. Genomics has a role to play in maximizing the utility, diversity and yield of resources, as well as in contributing to sustained food security in the future.