Monday, September 8, 2008

Drawing The Genetic Map of Europe

Filed under: in the news...

A team of scientists from Cornell, UCLA, University of Chicago, and the University of Lausanne, in Switzerland, have built a genetic map of Europe based on similarities of the DNA of 3,000 Europeans with a substantially pure lineage. The findings allow researchers to identify individuals' geographic heritage to within a few hundred miles, given enough data for that region and the individual's family history.

From MIT Tech Review:

One of the reasons that this is now possible is the plummeting cost of genotyping, says Novembre. The Affymetrix GeneChip measures 500,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)--variations at a single point in the genome--for just a few hundred dollars, he says.

Genetic samples were chosen to include individuals whose geographic ancestry could be determined, based on having all four grandparents coming from the same country.

The researchers then created a two-dimensional map with individuals positioned according to how similar or how different they are from all the others. When color-coded to show where each of their grandparents is from, the results are compelling, clearly showing the shape and boundaries of Europe.

More at MIT Technology Review...

Product page: Affymetrix GeneChip® System...

Affymetrix flashbacks: In the Works: IT-Enabled Prototype Psychiatric Pharmacogenomics Tool; Test Helps Guide Cancer Treatment; AmpliChip

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