 In 2008, the Genetic Association Information Network (GAIN) completed its work, posting genotypes and
phenotypes from the 18,000 samples it mapped to a National Library of Medicine database (dbGaP) that was also funded
by the program. The database makes possible further study by the research community in identifying genetic causes for
six common diseases: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, diabetic nephropathy in Type I diabetes, major depression,
psoriasis, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. NIH approved 174 requests from qualified researchers for GAIN data in
2008, and has fulfilled more than 350 such requests since the beginning of the project.
GAIN supported and funded development of data and analyses that allow comparison and combination of results
across different genotyping platforms. GAIN’s Principal Investigators (PIs) also worked with known experts in
Genome-wide Association Studies (GWAS) to establish and refine strategies to analyze the data.
The third and final GAIN Analysis Workshop, held in November in Bethesda, Maryland, highlighted the initial
results of genetic association studies based on GAIN and reviewed current analytical approaches. The first four
publications from GAIN by the PIs and their teams, on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, depression, psoriasis
and diabetic nephropathy, have now appeared in prominent scientific journals. Additional papers, both from the PIs and
other researchers, are expected in 2009.
As a result of the resources and policy frameworks made available by GAIN, GlaxoSmithKline has deposited the
genotypes and phenotypes from a large GWAS study on multiple sclerosis into dbGaP. Ideally, this will be just
one of many deposits of data from similar studies from external sources.
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