Functional genomics in the study of autoimmune diseases.

Functional genomics can be defined as a series of new biotechnological tools based on whole-genome information that can be used to understand basic mechanisms of gene regulation, structure and function. Most of these tools have been used and modeled in research of lower organisms such as the yeast C. Elegans. The time has come for their use in human genome research and there is hope that the new technologies and possibilities will provide with new knowledge on disease pathogenesis and the development of new drugs.