By pinpointing a suite of dysfunctional genes, a detailed genetic portrait of the Icelandic population has helped scientists identify rare gene variants associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other medical problems.
An international team of researchers working with deCODE, a genetics company based in Reykjavík, Iceland, determined the complete genetic instruction manuals of 2,636 Icelanders. The team then used those genomes to fill in gaps in genetic information taken from about 100,000 other Icelanders. The result is the largest set of human genomes sequenced from a single population.