Gene mapping the world of complex diseases

Complex diseases such as obesity affect millions of people worldwide and yet the therapeutic options available to tackle their causes are limited. Identifying new drug targets by mapping disease-associated genes is made difficult by the fact that more than one gene might act synergistically to cause the condition. Many existing techniques rely on time-consuming characterisation of multiple genetic markers. A new approach, genome hybrid identity profiling, identifies DNA regions that are ‘identical by descent’ for the entire genomes of two related individuals. Isolating disease-associated genes in this way gives researchers a fast, precise way of identifying potential drug targets for treatment of complex diseases.