Scientists Create Korean SNP Map

A Korean genetic variation map, which shows the unique genetic features of Koreans, is completed for the first time.

The Ministry of Science and Technology announced on December 13 that it will identify the 25,000 SNP of 90 Koreans’ DNA and introduce the results to the international SNP database website “dbSNP” by this December.

There have been cases when certain genetic information of Koreans has been provided to domestic researchers, but it is the first time that mass-scale information is introduced through an overseas database.

SNP is the DNA component that reveals genetic characteristics that differentiate individuals and races such as skin or hair color, physiognomy, diseases, and sensitivity, amounting to 0.1 percent of the DNA.

This is why even members of a family have different eyes, noses, and ears.

By revealing the function of SNP, it will be possible to provide customized treatment for genetic diseases.

Internationally, detailed maps of certain genes that indicate differences between individuals have been made since 2002 at genetic studies consortiums composed of 200 scientists from six countries.

The genetic map was named “Hap Map” after haplotype, a collection of SNP.

The Hap Map contains information of 3.3 million SNPs from 269 people, including 90 Nigerians and Americans, respectively, 45 Chinese, and 44 Japanese.

The Ministry of Science and Technology plans to complete the SNP map of Koreans amounting to two million by April 2008, by adding 1.01 million next April, in addition to the 25,000 to be listed at this time.

Based on this map, scientists can now identify the genes related to diseases to develop ways for diagnosing, predicting, and treating them.

Dr. Kang Chang-won (photo), professor of the Department of Biological Sciences at KAIST who led the research, said, “The construction of this genetic map will be used to identify the diseases commonly found in Koreans, such as stomach cancer and diabetes, as well as in comparative analyses between races.”

This research was part of the “Korean haplotype information project,” which aims to identify the genes related to diseases and responses to drugs that are unique to Koreans.

kunta@donga.com