The following is an edited excerpt.
Researchers from Queen Mary, University of London have led the largest sequencing study of human disease to date, investigating the genetic basis of six autoimmune diseases – autoimmune thyroid disease, coeliac disease, Crohn’s disease, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes.
The causes of each disease is unknown, but is believed to be a complex combination of genetic and environmental factors. The study published today in the journal Nature suggests that the genetic risk of these diseases more likely involves a complex combination of hundreds of weak-effect variants which are each common in the population.
Read the full article here: Researchers complete largest genetic sequencing study of human disease
