Rare family diseases tend to be genetic diseases with a relatively simple genetic cause that can be found by comparing family members.
This article is about treating rare diseases, but there is a simpler way - having identified the genes for the disease, we could screen for them, and then advise people carrying them to reproduce only via selective IVF. That way, the next generation of that family can be free of carriers, eliminating the disease in the long term even if a treatment isn't found. (This is not an either or with finding a treatment)
The above approach is much cheaper, effective, but raises important moral questions we need to think hard about. At what point does a disease become bad enough that it needs to be excluded like this? Slippery slope, etc.
This article is about treating rare diseases, but there is a simpler way - having identified the genes for the disease, we could screen for them, and then advise people carrying them to reproduce only via selective IVF. That way, the next generation of that family can be free of carriers, eliminating the disease in the long term even if a treatment isn't found. (This is not an either or with finding a treatment)
The above approach is much cheaper, effective, but raises important moral questions we need to think hard about. At what point does a disease become bad enough that it needs to be excluded like this? Slippery slope, etc.