More integration and exchange of genetic expertise is needed to translate vast genetic information into understanding of molecular details of human diseases. The core aims to bring all the accumulated experience in disease genetics within NCoEDG for use by all partners. Use of genealogical records available in Nordic countries allows ancestors to be traced back to the 17th century and provides a unique resource for LD- based studies.

The core will oversee the genealogical data collection and orchestrate the maximal utilization of genealogy in linkage and LD based analyses. It will coordinate the design of NCoEDG studies of the pooled human samples and ensure standardization and quality control of the produced genotype data by providing expertise and infrastructure for systematic assessment of structural and functional genome variations. The core will be responsible for the sharing of genotype data in the family samples collected for the three disease entities and together with the database core guarantee the easy access of participating centers to this data.

The core will arrange one workshop per year to bring together the geneticists, statisticians and genome structure experts. In the concurrent educational sessions the teachers will not only involve the Nordic partners but also experts from large genome centers and major statistical groups.

(Leader Leena Peltonen)