Guilt by Association: Whole-genome scans yield disease clues

In a sweeping demonstration of the power of the new biology, researchers have linked two dozen genetic variations to six major diseases.

The study, which scanned the genomes of 16,179 British citizens, is “unprecedented in scope and scale,” says Anne Bowcock of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

The research promises to speed fundamental understanding of bipolar disorder, coronary artery disease, the digestive disorder called Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and type 1 and type 2 diabetes.