An Introduction to Genetic Epidemiology

Genetic epidemiology is a very rapidly developing field that has acquired a central role in modern biomedical science. Driven by fast-paced technological advances arising from the sequencing of the human genome, and the rolling-out of these technologies into population-based studies, remarkable advances have occurred recently in our ability to detect genetic polymorphisms which contribute to susceptibility to complex human disease. This new science has begun to transform epidemiology, clinical medicine, and public health. Epidemiologists and public health students who in the past only had to learn a minimum of genetics are now required to acquire more detailed knowledge of the field, yet until now there has been no text set at the appropriate introductory level. This book brings together leading international experts to provide an introduction to genetic epidemiology that begins with a primer in human molecular genetics (requiring no prior specialist knowledge) and then examines all the standard methods in population genetics and genetic epidemiology required for an adequate grounding in the field. Among much else, the book contains discussion of the public health aspects of the new genetics, and of epidemiological methods for studying genes and environmental factors in complex diseases. Supplemented by a glossary and in-chapter guides to further reading, this introduction to genetic epidemiology will be widely welcomed by teachers and students on a burgeoning number of courses across the world.