Making Genetic Testing Useful

July 24, 2008 | Source: Technology Review

In a new $31 million project to connect genetic variations with actual health risks, researchers will combine epidemiological studies (detailed long-term health studies) of tens of thousands of people with those participants’ genetic data.

The study, sponsored by the National Human Genome Research Institute, will provide data that genome-wide association studies (GWAS–comparing genetic variations in groups of people with and without a disease) alone cannot provide. GWAS have identified more than 300 genetic variants that boost risk for illnesses such as diabetes, arthritis, and Crohn’s disease, but they do not show how the genetic change causes an illness, or what other factors may have played a role.

In contrast, the new study will use four existing epidemiological studies in which scientists have spent years tracking participants’ medical information, such as blood pressure, medications, lifestyle, and nutrition. This level of detail will allow researchers to look at gene-environment interactions. For example, some studies link pesticide exposure to Parkinson’s disease, but this risk may only be realized in people who possess certain genetic risk factors.

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