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Science 21 January 2005:
Vol. 307. no. 5708, pp. 370 - 373
DOI: 10.1126/science.1104346
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Genetic Factors in Type 2 Diabetes: The End of the Beginning?

Stephen O'Rahilly,1* Inês Barroso,2 Nicholas J. Wareham3

The intensive search for genetic variants that predispose to type 2 diabetes was launched with optimism, but progress has been slower than was hoped. Even so, major advances have been made in the understanding of monogenic forms of the disease which together represent a substantial health burden, and a few common gene variants that influence susceptibility have now been unequivocally identified. Armed with a better understanding of the tools needed to detect such genes, it seems inevitable that the rate of progress will increase and the relevance of genetic information to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diabetes will become increasingly tangible.

1 University of Cambridge, Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge CB2 2QQ, UK.
2 The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambs CB10 1SA, UK.
3 Medical Research Council Epidemiology Unit, Elsie Widdowson Laboratory, Fulbourn Road, Cambridge CB1 9NL, UK.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: so104{at}medschl.cam.ac.uk

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