Quantitative Analysis Methods for Complex Trait Genetics

描述：（申请人提供）： 吸烟是过早死亡的主要危险因素， 沉重的公共卫生负担。研究表明，吸烟和 尼古丁依赖是受显著遗传影响的复杂性状， 成分，需要进一步的研究来确定影响基因， 易感性和耐药性。本提案的研究目标是开发 并评估新的方法，用于复杂性状的遗传分析， 候选人南希·萨科内博士的职业发展背景。萨科内医生 她将使用人工神经网络和逻辑回归模型， 主要的方法工具，并将制定和应用方法，特别是 适用于研究尼古丁成瘾和相关的复杂遗传学 表型初步研究显示， 基于这些工具的遗传学方法的研究是必要的。的 研究计划还将扩大这些应用的范围，包括使用 对于遗传关联分析，如大规模不平衡和 基于关联的方法预计将变得越来越重要， 复杂性状基因定位萨科内博士选择了约翰·赖斯博士作为导师， 将与其他共同导师和顾问合作。培训内容 会让萨科内博士的事业扩大吗的经验包括： 研究伦理行为培训，临床研究伦理行为培训 尼古丁和其他物质成瘾的生物学方面， 发展使用和分析其他类型基因数据的专门知识 除了基因型数据，如基因表达阵列数据， 在人类复杂特征的研究中发挥着越来越重要的作用。的 候选人已经设计了一个课程和指导计划，以完成 这些研究和培训目标，从而实现研究独立， 奖励期结束。

DESCRIPTION: (Provided by Applicant): Cigarette smoking is a major risk factor for premature death and creates a substantial public health burden. While studies have shown that smoking and nicotine dependence are complex traits influenced by significant genetic components, further research is needed to identify genes that influence susceptibility and resistance. The research goal of this proposal is to develop and evaluate new methods for the genetic analysis of complex traits in the context of career development for the candidate, Dr. Nancy Saccone. Dr. Saccone will use artificial neural networks and logistic regression models as her primary methodological tools, and will develop and apply methods especially suited for studying the complex genetics of nicotine addiction and related phenotypes. Preliminary studies have been promising and indicate that further investigation of genetic methods based on these tools is warranted. The research plan will also extend the scope of these applications to include uses for genetic association analysis, as large-scale disequilibrium and association-based approaches are expected to become increasingly important for complex trait gene mapping. Dr. Saccone has chosen Dr. John Rice as mentor and will work with additional co-mentors and consultants. The training components of this proposal will expand Dr. Saccone?s experience to include: ongoing training in the ethical conduct of research, further training in the clinical and biological aspects of nicotine and other substance addiction, and the development of expertise in the use and analysis of other kinds of genetic data besides genotypic data, such as gene expression array data, which will play increasingly important roles in the study of human complex traits. The candidate has designed a program of coursework and mentoring to accomplish these research and training goals and thereby achieve research independence by the end of the award period.