An Introduction to Genetic Epidemiology

Palmer (biostatistics and epidemiology, U. of Toronto, Canada) et al. are joined by contributors working in genetics and epidemiology in the UK, Canada, and Australia who introduce genetic epidemiology to advanced undergraduate and graduate students in public health, epidemiology, statistics, human genetics, clinical medicine, and related disciplines, and discuss concepts and issues facing researchers attempting to map and use genetic factors underlying human disease. Chapters assume no specialist knowledge or technical background and discuss a framework for investigating genetic determinants in complex human diseases such as diabetes and asthma; the basic theory and methods of linkage and association studies; linkage analysis and family-based methods used to map genetic loci that predispose disease; association analysis and design methods for studies; and the structure of the human genome as related to single nucleotide polymorphisms and linkage disequilibrium and application to mapping disease genes. They also cover optimal study designs and characteristics; international biobanking initiatives; and the application of genetic epidemiology in population health and genomic profiling, personalized medicine, and new approaches like Mendelian randomization. The book originated in a series commissioned by the journal The Lancet in 2005. Distributed in the US by ISBS. Annotation c2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)