Hypergenes. European network for genetic-epidemiological studies: building a method to dissect complex genetic traits, using essential hypertension as a disease model.

Hypergenes is a large European research network focusing on essential hypertension as a disease model. This project includes research activities in the areas of population genetics, molecular epidemiology, clinical sciences, bioinformatics and health information technology, with predicted outcomes in the fields of prevention, early clinical diagnosis and treatment, in addition to increasing the knowledge about the aetiology of essential of hypertension and associated target organ damage. The activities will be integrated horizontally across 20 participating centers and vertically across disciplines to achieve multidirectional and pan-European interactions between clinicians, basic scientists and epidemiologists, since complex traits cannot be easily partitioned in modules and one needs a highly integrated approach to understand them. HYPERGENESs scientific and technological objectives and expected outcomes can be summarised as follows: · Find genes responsible for essential hypertension and associated target organ damage, using a whole genome association/entropy-based approach. · Develop an integrated disease model, taking the environment into account, using advanced bioinformatics. · Test the value of the predictive model.

Keywords:Hypergenes

Disciplines:Laboratory medicine, Palliative care and end-of-life care, Regenerative medicine, Other basic sciences, Other health sciences, Nursing, Other paramedical sciences, Other translational sciences, Other medical and health sciences