Electronic health records have great potential to link genes to specific diseases and identify previously unknown connections between them, according to a new study published in Nature Biotechnology, reported on by the New York Times. The researchers conducted phenome-wide association studies to match gene variants with different medical conditions. They also created a database, and tested it with 77 gene variants known to strongly link to certain conditions to check to see if the data base could replicate the results.
The database found the same link in 51 out of 77 cases. The researchers then searched for new matches and discovered 63 new links between gene variants and diseases, ranging from skin cancer to anemia. Article