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The human genome contains about 10 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Each SNP marks a particular spot on the genome. SNPs are inherited along with the genes close to them. Thus, if a particular SNP is associated with a particular disease, genes lying close to that SNP are likely associated with the disease. This concept, first proposed nearly 30 years ago, has already led to identification of disease-related genes.
Yet searching 10 million potential markers to find genes associated with a particular disease is cumbersome. A few years ago, geneticists discovered that groups of SNPs (collectively called haplotypes, or “haps”) were closely associated with each other. Accordingly, only one SNP marker in each haplotype would need to…