Mission to uncover the genetic make-up of Britain

August 26, 2004

(of interest to those with British ancestry ~ GG)

News-Medical.Net Mission to uncover the genetic make-up of Britain

News-Medical in Medical Research News 26-Aug-2004

A mission to uncover the genetic make-up of Britain is being carried out

by Oxford researchers funded by the Wellcome Trust.

Sir Walter Bodmer at the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine and

his team, based in the Department of Clinical Pharmacology at the

Radcliffe Infirmary, together with Professors Donnelly and Lon

Cardon, are undertaking a £2 million study to find out how different

races, tribes and invaders have influenced the genes of Britain’s modern

population.

The findings will not only be used to create a genetic history, but they

will also generate vital information that will contribute to an

understanding of the inherited susceptibility to a wide range of

diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer’s and heart disease in various

parts of the country. Such data could eventually provide researchers

with ways of identifying people at risk of getting common illnesses.

The researchers will take blood from thousands of volunteers all over

Britain. The samples will be used to isolate key pieces of DNA that best

identify the influences – including Vikings, Saxons, and Celts – shaping

regional populations.

Crucial to the study is finding participants with a relatively ‘stable’

genetic background. Only those in the countryside will be asked to take

part: ‘Urban populations are already far too mixed up for us to be able

to tease out their genetic roots,’ said Sir Walter. To be included in

the study, not only will a person have to have lived in one rural

locality, but his or her parents and grandparents will also have been

residents of that neighbourhood.

The study will hope to answers questions about what influences the

Celts, Saxons, Normans, and others had on the genetic makeup of present

day populations, and how this might influence the various ailments we

are prone to.

‘We will look for about 2,000 genetic variations or markers in our

subjects,’ said Sir Walter. ‘We will look at how common a particular

piece of DNA is in one group of people compared with those who have

lived in another area. That will provide us with enough data to pinpoint

the key genetic influences involved in shaping the British people. It

will also help us to determine which variants of common genes are

associated with which common illnesses.’

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