Researchers from Rosetta Inpharmatics and deCODE have used the new technique of “genome-wide association studies” to identify networks of genes linked to obesity in both mice and humans.

They analyzed the expression of 23,720 known genes in blood and fat samples from hundreds of people, and correlated these results with the body mass index of each participant.

They found 2,000 genes whose expression is altered in blood cells in obese people, and also found patterns in the gene expression data that allowed them to group genes into networks that are regulated together.