Genome-Wide Association Study for Type 2 Diabetes

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have facilitated a substantial and rapid rise in the number of confirmed genetic susceptibility variants for type 2 diabetes (T2D) and glycemic traits. Approximately 90 variants for conferring susceptibility to T2D and 80 variants for glycemic traits have been identified until the end of 2016. This success has led to widespread hope that the findings will translate into improved clinical care for the increasing numbers of patients with diabetes. Potential areas or clinical translation include risk prediction and subsequent disease prevention, pharmacogenomics, and the development of novel therapeutics. In contrast, worldwide efforts to identify susceptibility loci to diabetic nephropathy have not been successful so far, and most of heritability for diabetic nephropathy remains to be elucidated. Uncovering the missing heritability is essential to the progress of T2D genetic studies and to the translation of genetic information into clinical practice.