Wedneday    06-Jun           12.45 - 13.45 Boisdale  | Session Report>>    

Genome-Wide Transcript Profiling And Linkage Analysis 
How To Find New Genes For Cardiovascular Disease (And Why It Is Important)

Tackling common diseases how has the genome project helped?

Many genes for Mendelian diseases have been identified in the past 20 years, but relatively few genes underlying more common, genetically complex diseases. The prospects for success have improved markedly, however, with the recent development of an extensive array of genome resources and technologies. Genome-wide studies of gene expression and studies of gene copy number are two new and fruitful approaches that have yielded insights into the molecular basis of common disease phenotypes. This talk will give examples of cardiovascular and metabolic traits whose molecular genetic basis has been clarified by genomic approaches.

Professor Tim Aitman
MRC Clinical Sciences Centre and Imperial College London, UK

How To Find New Genes For Cardiovascular Disease (And Why It Is Important): Cohort Selection For Human Studies

Selection and collection of a suitable cohort for study is the most critical step in attempting to identify genes for cardiovascular disease.  It has become clear that very large studies, including thousands of cases of disease and suitable controls, are required to produce results that are reliable, even under grossly simplified models of disease causation.  In addition to sample size, selection for an extreme phenotype (for example younger, more severe cases) substantially augments power to detect genetic effects.  I will discuss recent results from genome-wide association studies of cardiovascular diseases which emphasise the importance of these points.

Bernard Keavney, Professor of Cardiology
Inst. of Human Genetics, International Centre for Life, Newcastle-upon-Tyne