NCBI Launches dbGaP – A Datbase of Whole Genome Associated Studies
Friday, December 15th, 2006The National Library of Medicine (NLM), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announces the introduction of dbGaP, a new database designed to archive and distribute data from genome wide association (GWA) studies. GWA studies explore the association between specific genes (genotype information) and observable traits, such as blood pressure and weight, or the presence or absence of a disease or condition (phenotype information). Connecting phenotype and genotype data provides information about the genes that may be involved in a disease process or condition, which can be critical for better understanding the disease and for developing new diagnostic methods and treatments.