Sequence first. There are larger genetic studies but not too many. In a recent study in Nature Genetics, roughly 150,000 individuals were genotyped to assess the importance of rare, disruptive variants in SLC30A8 in type 2 diabetes. This genomic tour de force was made possible by available and curated databases that could be tapped to extract the necessary genetic information. Also, this study highlights some of the surprises that we can expect by mining the human genome for disease-related information. Rare, disruptive variants in SLC30A8 protect against type 2 diabetes. Let’s review why these rare, protective genetic factors might be particularly important for biomedical research and what kind of studies we need to identify them. Continue reading
Tag Archives: variants
Papers of the week – next-level mutation classifiers and 3’UTR variants in Dravet Syndrome
The future is now. This week’s publications of the week are about the next generation of in silico mutation interpretation, the power of a full genetic screen in neurodegenerative motor neuron diseases and a possible 3’UTR mutation in Dravet Syndrome. Continue reading