Researchers from Boston University and Howard University will perform the first genome-wide scan of an African American cohort searching for genes associated with obesity, hypertension, diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

This collaborative study will be an important first step in understanding how genetics contribute to the disease burden of populations of African ancestry. Charles Rotimi, Ph.D., director of the National Human Genome Center at Howard University and current president of the African Society of Human Genetics, and Michael Christman, Ph.D., chair of the Genetics and Genomics Department at Boston University, will lead the study. The initial phase of the project will take less than a year, and the team hopes to secure additional funding to expand the study to include additional unique African cohorts.

See Michael Christman discuss the project in an interview with the Affymetrix Microarray Bulletin:
http://affymetrix.com/userForum/news/collaborations/ChristmanVideo.uf