Life Science log

HapMap 3 points the way forward for human genetics studiesNew findings show the value of genetic studies across human populations and the value of the latest DNA sequencing technologies to interrogate genetic variation. The results, from the latest phase of the international HapMap Project, are reported in Nature.The researchers' extensive study of genetic variation in multiple populations will form a framework for future genetic studies of variation and disease: their findings highlight the need to examine various populations in order to tease out the widest collection of genetic variants, as well as the requirement to deploy sequencing technologies to find as many variants as possible.The HapMap Project seeks to identify signposts on the human genome that will simplify the search for important genetic variants. In the latest phase ? HapMap 3 ? the researchers looked for variants across the genome in 1184 samples from 11 populations. They chose the large sample set and the wide range of populations to maximi

"The generated HapMap provides an important foundation for studies aiming to find genetic variation related to human diseases. It is now routinely used by researchers as a valuable reference tool in our quest to use genomics for improving human health," said Eric D. Green, M.D., Ph.D., director of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), a part of the National Institutes of Health, which provided major funding for the HapMap Project.