Linkage studies have been successfully used to identify many disease genes such as hyper-cholesterolaemia [1]–[3], Huntington’s disease [4] and cystic fibrosis [5]. Linkage studies allow direct observation of recombination events in a family pedigree with a limited number of generations, as well as simultaneous analysis of multiple genetic markers. The LOD score (logarithm of odds), developed by Newton E. Morton [6], is a statistical test often used for linkage analysis in human. The LOD score compares the likelihood of obtaining the test data if the two loci are indeed linked, to the likelihood of observing the same data by chance. However, this setup requires tailor-made likelihood statistics. When it comes to a multi-loci model, the situation can be even more cumbersome [7]. On the other hand, because of the requirement of a large number of families with several affected generations, linkage analysis can be less helpful when dealing with diseases of late-onset with a high mortality. Alternatively, association studies are used to identify disease susceptibility genes by comparing genetic variants between individuals with and without the disease of interest. High-throughput
