The completion of the human genome project and the HapMap project, and the new technologies of microarrays, or chips, capable of assessing 500,000 to 1 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a single sample have opened new avenues in translating basic research into clinical practice. Genomewide association studies may have in the near future major clinical applications and alter diagnostic, prevention and therapeutics approaches of the most common diseases including, cancer, coronary artery disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and other common diseases.
