SA78 - GAPS: GENOMIC AGGREGATION PROJECT IN SWEDEN

Abstract

Background Since psychiatric disorders have genetic architectures dominated by common variants of small effects, psychiatric genetics necessitates large sample sizes. Collaboration and unconventional ascertainment methods are essential to fulfill this need. Electronic health records have been increasingly recognized for their research potential, although they often pose substantial technical, legal and ethical challenges. Universal health care and national-scale registers with comprehensive medical, developmental, demographic, and geographic information make the Nordic countries ideal for psychiatric genetic epidemiology. Of all countries with these characteristics, Sweden has the largest population. Methods The Genomic Aggregation Project in Sweden (GAPS) is gathering genetic data from subjects with and without complex genetic diseases in a single location for standardized processing and use in a wide variety of scientific investigations. Thirty-two groups with >200 K genotyped samples have joined GAPS. Although GAPS is general across medicine, many psychiatric disorders are represented within GAPS, and initial studies will focus on major depressive disorder. Results Through in-depth genetic investigations, the genes and pathways that will be identified can be leveraged for predictive and drug-development purposes. Discussion Instead of amassing studies with a common phenotype across populations, a population-based consortium holds many advantages such as facilitating phenotypic harmonization across studies through national registers, a greater range of information for research, and reduced possibility of population stratification. Sweden offers exceptional possibilities for psychiatric genetics, and GAPS aims to harness the wealth of available information for research to improve human health.