Gayed: Lifton 163 way,” Lifton says, “one could explain vari- ation of disease risk within the population.” Lifton’s use of genomics has changed the very way he foresees geneticists applying the technology: “These [variations] can only be found by resequencing genes, pathways, or genomes. In coming years, we expect technologies for resequencing the human genome to plummet. Initial efforts will in- stead focus on resequencing a small number of high priority genes in thousands of sub- jects. This will evolve next to resequencing all the genes and conserved elements, which constitute only a few percent of the genome. Finally, we will begin resequencing entire genomes in large cohorts.” Of course, Lifton is not merely forecast- ing the future of genomics — he is already living it. “We have recently completed such a resequencing study of salt-handling genes in the Framingham Heart Study cohort,” he announces. The results, no doubt, will lead to valuable discoveries. Until Lifton figures things out, however, some of us will have to go on drinking pickle juice. REFERENCES 1. Lifton RP, Wilson FH, Choate KA, Geller DS. Salt and blood pressure: new insight from human genetic studies. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol. 2002;67:445-50. 2. Strachan T, Read AP. Human Molecular Ge- netics. 2nd ed. New York: Wiley-Liss; 1999. 3. Lifton RP, Dluhy RG, Powers M, Rich GM, Cook S, Ulick S, Lalouel JM. A chimaeric 11 beta-hydroxylase/aldosterone synthase gene causes glucocorticoid-remediable aldostero- nism and human hypertension. Nature. 1992;355:262-5. 4. Hansson JH, Nelson-Williams C, Suzuki H, Schild L, Shimkets R, Lu Y, et al. Hyperten- sion caused by a truncated epithelial sodium channel gamma subunit: genetic heterogene- ity of Liddle syndrome. Nat Genet. 1995;11:76-82. 5. Geller DS, Farhi A, Pinkerton N, Fradley M, Moritz M, Spitzer M, et al. Activating min- eralocorticoid receptor mutation in hyperten- sion exacerbated by pregnancy. Science. 2000;289:119-23. 6. Cruz DN, Simon DB, Nelson-Williams C, Farhi A, Finberg K, Burleson L, et al. Muta- tions in the Na-Cl cotransporter reduce blood pressure in humans. Hypertension. 2001;37:1458-64.