We are pleased to announce a very exciting news in the world of genetics. Most human diseases have genetic components. Traditional classification of genetic diseases as monogenic and polygenic has lagged far behind scientific progress in the era of genomic medicine. Dr. Qingping Yao and his collaborators, Dr. Peter Gorevic, Dr. Bo Shen and Dr. Greg Gibson have proposed and defined the new terminology, Genetically Transitional Disease (GTD), referring to genetic disease status straddling monogenic and polygenic diseases, where a large-effect mutation is necessary, but not sufficient, to cause disease.
The authors have also proposed a working disease nosology based on gradients of four types of genetic architecture: monogenic, polygenic, GTD, and mixed. An article entitled Genetically Transitional Disease: A New Concept in Genomic Medicine” is published in a high impact genetics journal, Trends in Genetics. Recalibration of the traditional disease classification could have a far-reaching impact on further study of genetic disease and clinical use of genetic information for patient care in the future.
