Top Advances in Functional Genomics and Translational Biology for 2010

Abstract

In recent years, major advances have been made in transcriptomics, metabolomics, proteomics, and particularly population genetics. More than 850 genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were published by the end of 2010, now covering a vast number of diseases and phenotypes and often incorporating tens of thousands of subjects or, in some cases, more than 100 000 subjects, increasing statistical power to identify and replicate contributing loci. Sequencing throughput advances and decreasing costs per sample have allowed the application of genome-wide genotyping and sequencing technology to larger DNA samples as well as transcriptome and epigenome features. This year was marked not only by continuing progress with GWAS, sequencing, and copy number variation studies but also by follow-up of GWAS and other findings with functional studies that uncover new molecular pathways contributing to disease and pave the way for future clinical applications. The American Heart Association Functional Genomics and Translational Biology Interdisciplinary Council (http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3016539) provides a forum for a multidisciplinary group of volunteers committed to making a substantial contribution to reduce the burden of heart disease and stroke through genetics, genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics research and translational science. With input from the Early Career Committee of the Council on Functional Genomics and Translational Biology, we considered many papers and selected 10 outstanding manuscript groups (15 articles) published in 2010 that reflect these advances, and we briefly summarize each below in chronological order.