Researchers are developing new ways to mine growing stores of genetic data to predict risk of disease. The latest such tool, which assesses the risk for obesity, illustrates both the promise and the limitations of this emerging area of research. In a paper published Thursday in the journal Cell, researchers said the tool, called a polygenic risk score, predicted the body-mass index, weight and obesity status of more than 306,000 people, showing a substantial weight difference between those with the lowest and highest scores.

Source: Wall Street Journal April 18, 2019 15:00 UTC