NCBI Launches dbGaP – A Datbase of Whole Genome Associated Studies
The National Library of Medicine (NLM), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announces the introduction of dbGaP, a new database designed to archive and distribute data from genome wide association (GWA) studies. GWA studies explore the association between specific genes (genotype information) and observable traits, such as blood pressure and weight, or the presence or absence of a disease or condition (phenotype information). Connecting phenotype and genotype data provides information about the genes that may be involved in a disease process or condition, which can be critical for better understanding the disease and for developing new diagnostic methods and treatments.
January 4th, 2007 at 6:16 pm
Another name for the “GaP” since 1972 when it was introduced to human genetics by Gottesman & Shields is “endophenotype”. The term has 513 hits in PubMed. It has been applied to schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, ADHD, alcohol dependence, depression, and autism. See Gottesman & Gould (2003), Gould & Gottesman (2006), Hasler et al. (2006), and Braff et al. (2007, Schizophrenia Bulletin).