Biggest ever haul of genes linked to diseases

The largest ever study of genes and disease has found 10 new genes linked to seven of the most common conditions.It represents the biggest single haul of disease-associated genes so far, and may lead better understanding of the diseases and new treatments."We are just scratching the surface," says Peter Donnelly at the University of Oxford, who led the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium behind the project. "Over the next couple of years, as these sorts of studies are extended, our understanding of the genetics of common diseases will change enormously."Donnelly and colleagues from 50 research groups examined 500,000 genetic markers from 17,000 British individuals, comparing the genomes of diseased and healthy volunteers. In total, the investigation analysed 10 billion pieces of genetic information over a two-year period.Linked diseases...