Genome-wide association scans for Type 2 diabetes: new insights into biology and therapy

Type 2 diabetes is a complex, multifactorial disease, for which genetic and environmental factors jointly determine susceptibility. Disentangling the genetic aetiology of Type 2 diabetes has proven a challenging task, rewarded, until recently, with only limited success. However, the field of Type 2 diabetes genetics has been transformed over the past few months, with the publication of six genome-wide association scans, leading to the establishment of novel genomic regions that harbour disease susceptibility loci. Here, we provide an overview of the main recent findings and discuss their significance in providing biological insights and their translational implications.