Summary: The first wave of large-scale, high-density genome-wide
association (GWA) studies has improved our understanding
of the genetic basis of many complex traits1
. For several
diseases, including type 1(Refs 2,3) and type 2 diabetes4­9
,
inflammatory bowel disease10­14
, prostate cancer15­20
and
breast cancer21­23
, there has been rapid expansion in the
numbers of loci implicated in predisposition. For others,
such as asthma24
, coronary heart disease25­27
and atrial
fibrillation28
, fewer novel loci have been found, although
opportunities for mechanistic insights are equally prom-
ising. Several common variants influencing important
continuous traits, such as lipids7,29­31

Source: Abecasis, Goncalo - Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan

Collections: Biology and Medicine; Mathematics