Genes associated with heart rhythms and diabetes in African Americans

Genes for complex diseases like heart disease and diabetes can be hard to find. Scientists think that many genes are involved in these diseases. One common type of study, called a GWAS, can detect some of these genes. But these studies can’t find all of the genes involved. And sometimes, the genes that are found in one racial/ethnic group are not found in another group. Recent studies show that genes on part of chromosome 3 affect different parts of a person’s heart rhythm. But these links were only found in white people. Researchers could not find the same links in black people. This project will look closer at this gene region in BioVU samples from black patients. The researchers hope to learn more about the genetic differences between these groups. These differences may play an important role in disease. The researchers have also found a gene linked to type 2 diabetes in both groups. But they don’t know if these groups have the same changes within that gene. This project will look closely for gene changes in black patients with type 2 diabetes.