Clinical Application of Genetic Analysis in Obesity

Abstract

Recently, obese subjects have increased because of the change of lifestyles such as westernization of the eating habits or the lack of exercise in Japan. Prevention of obesity is important to prevent metabolic syndrome such as dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, hypertention and arteriosclerotic disease. Obesity, which is induced by multiple causes, is mainly determined by the interaction between genetic and environmental factors. To search the gene associated with obesity, candidate gene analysis and whole genome analysis are carried out using the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). As the result, several candidate genes have been reported to associate with obesity. It is necessary to diagnose multiple SNPs associated with obesity in many subjects to prevent obesity as the personalized medicine for the future. The SmartAmp (Smart Amplification Process) method is expected to be applied clinically for personalized medicine because of the simple, rapid and accurate diagnosis of SNPs.