A Critical Perspective

Recent advances in molecular biology and technology have made it possible to monitor the expression levels of virtually all genes simultaneously. As the tools for gene expression profiling have become more widely available, the number of investigators applying this technology in hypertension research, as in other fields of biomedical research, has grown rapidly. At the same time, numerous articles have been published that discuss the technical aspects of gene profiling and its promise for advancing research on the pathogenesis and treatment of multiple clinical disorders. However, much of the research carried out with gene expression profiling has been of a correlational or descriptive nature, and the true value of this technology is unclear. Despite the initial wave of enthusiasm for gene expression profiling, its actual utility for studying multifactorial disorders like hypertension remains to be established. In this review, we offer a critical perspective on the use of gene expression profiling in hypertension research and discuss some emerging strategies for taking this technology beyond the limits of correlational and descriptive studies. (Hypertension. 2003;41:3-8.)