Scientists use Iceland's genealogical database to pinpoint the heritage of a deadly disease

A collaboration of scientists from Iceland and the United States has used Iceland's genealogical database to trace the ancestors of patients suffering from hereditary cystatin C amyloid angiopathy (HCCAA). Analysis shows that the deadly mutation in the cystatin C gene, L68Q, derives from a common ancestor born roughly 18 generations ago, around 1550AD. Details are published June 20th in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics.