Gene hunters close in on elusive prey
Kahn, P.
Science 271(5254): 1352-1354
1996
ISSN/ISBN: 0036-8075 PMID: 8596902 Document Number: 456896
Researchers are deciphering the roots of complex diseases using high technology and family sample collection on a large scale. Unraveling the genetic basis of complex diseases caused by a combination of genes and environmental factors is such a daunting task that many researchers considered it almost hopeless until a few years ago. Such diseases are now moving to the center stage of genome research, however, due to advances in genetic maps and technologies, which make it much easier to identify broad regions of the chromosomes where complex disease genes lurk. Researchers are forging new types of collaborations and sparing no effort to secure DNA from families with diseased members--the raw material for their studies. Many are teaming up to collect and pool their samples, some are turning to major public appeals, and others are trying to find unusual, potentially more informative populations. The writer discusses the first whole-genome scans in humans, which were reported in the September 8, 1994, issue of Nature.