Heritability explained: uncovering the secrets of genetic disease
At the Australian e-Health Research Centre, we’re tackling tricky topics to fight genetic diseases.
One of these is heritability, or the way genes are passed along in a family. Heritability measures how much the variation of a trait within a population is caused by a variation in genes.
‘Missing heritability’ is an issue encountered in Alzheimer’s disease research. This is when scientists know a disease is heritable but are unable to find the underlying genetic cause.
Our scientists are using artificial intelligence and machine learning to capture more of this missing heritability.
This research unlocks more of the heritability secrets of complex diseases; and brings us closer to more effective treatments and early intervention strategies.
Find out more about heritability and how we’re using digital technologies to fight genetic disease.
The Australian e-Health Research Centre (AEHRC) is CSIRO's digital health research program and a joint venture between CSIRO and the Queensland Government. The AEHRC works with state and federal health agencies, clinical research groups and health businesses around Australia.