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1st
EMBL/EMBO Joint Conference 2000 |
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Session
II |
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| From the sequence of our genes to medical utility |
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Kari Stefánsson, President and CEO, deCode Genetics, Reykjavik, Iceland
The
mapping of genes for common diseases has proven a rather difficult
task. This is probably in part because most of the common
diseases are rather complex from a genetic standpoint. Another
potential explanation for the difficulties is that the approaches
that have been taken in the gene mapping have been somewhat
flawed; most of the published attempts at mapping genes in
common/complex diseases have been dependent on sibpair analysis
which is not a particularly powerful approach.
I will discuss an approach to the mapping of genes in common/complex
diseases that includes the use of population-based patient
lists and a nation wide genealogic database that reaches centuries
back in time and is applied to determine relationships between
the members on the list. This approach is also based on using
rather distantly related patients, up to 8th degree relatives,
in order to take maximum advantage of the genetic power available.
Furthermore, this approach uses broad [but rigorous] definitions
of the phenotypes when the patient lists are assembled but
the mapping is only done with patients from the lists who
have the parts of the broadly defined phenotype that are passed
between generations. I will give several examples of successes
in mapping genes in complex diseases including in psoriasis,
myocardial infarction, osteoarthritis, stroke, osteoporosis,
and schizophrenia.
Biography
Kari Stefánsson is currently the President, Chairman of the
Board and CEO of deCode Genetics. Dr. Stefánsson received
his MD and Dr Med at the University of Iceland. He trained in neurology
and neuropathy at the University of Chicago where he subsequently
served on the faculty for ten years. He was a professor of neurology,
neuropathology, and neuroscience at the University of Chicago until
1993. From 1993 to 1996 Dr. Stefánsson was a member of the
neurology, neuropathy and neuroscience department at Harvard University. |
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