When the smoke clears...

摘要

The characterization of variation in the human genome has begun to pay dividends. These are mainly being delivered through genome-wide association studies (GWAS), provided that they are sufficiently large and are followed by replication of the notable findings. Since early 2007, variations at nearly 100 regions of the genome have been associated with an increased risk for diseases with a complex genetic background, such as diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, cancer (most notably breast, colorectal and prostate) and heart disease.