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Updated: Aug 26, 2026

Candidate Gene Testing in Clinical Cohort Studies with Multiplexed Genotyping and Mass Spectrometry
Published on: June 21, 2018
The common variants/multiple disease hypothesis of common complex genetic disorders
1Gene Expression and Genomics Unit, TRIAD Technology Center, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes on Health, Room 208, 333 Cassell Drive, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA. beckerk@grc.nia.nih.gov
Abstract:
Unlike simple rare Mendelian disorders, the genetic basis for common disorders is unclear. A general model of the genetics of common complex disorders is proposed which emphasizes the shared nature of common alleles in related common disorders, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, Type II diabetes and obesity, and among autoimmune diseases. This model, the common variants/multiple disease hypothesis, emphasizes that many disease genes may not be disease specific. Common deleterious alleles, found at a relatively high frequency in the population may play a role in related clinical phenotypes in the context of different genetic backgrounds and under different environmental conditions.
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