bp - What you are talking about is "gene therapy". I don't think that any gene therapy is being done for bipolar disorder. Gene therapy is being done in certain disorders, like cystic fibrosis, but there is something wrong with it; the test subjects keep unexplainably dying.

All the talk about adjusting proteins, enzymes, etc. via playing with genes is still in the beginning stages. I really have my doubts that many disorders will be "cured" by this method; at least in the near future. We just don't know enough about how transcription works, and it will be awhile before we do. The Genome Project was just step one.

As for genetic research in bipolar disorder, right now there are several linkage studies underway, trying to determine if bipolar disorder is a genetic disorder, and if so, how much is controlled by genetics. For the near future, I think that the most that can be gained from genetic research into bipolar disorder is that perhaps soon, we may be able to predict which of an affected parent's children may develop bipolar disorder. This too is still a few years in the future.

The bear has been bought. It is not exactly the same, but it is still a "Bay" bear.

- Cam

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