One of the hot areas of research since the human genome was originally sequenced has been genome-wide association studies.

ECONOMIST: Human genomics

They carried out the first genome-wide analysis of the genetic variation between different regions of the same tumour using samples of kidney cancer.

BBC: DNA analysis shows huge genetic diversity in tumours

Her project aims to establish a simple, robust and reproducible platform for a genome-wide search for new cancer autoantigens and the evaluation of the corresponding circulating autoantibodies as biomarkers.

UNESCO: 2007 UK and Ireland Winners

And the Autism Sequencing Consortium hopes to collect DNA samples from 20, 000 subjects for genome-wide association studies, and identify 100 more genes linked to autism in the next three years.

WSJ: Why Kids Get Autism: New Genetic Clues

One finding of this technique, which is known as genome-wide complex-trait analysis, is that many of the same genetic factors seem to explain why people differ in intelligence in childhood and old age.

WSJ: Intelligence Changes Linked to Genes