Genetic research over the past decade has provided fundamental insights into the nature of schizophrenia, with identification of the first indisputable risk loci and genes, and discovery that rare variants also contribute to the genetic predisposition. The results are beginning to reveal the key gene networks and biochemical pathways, are already driving the design and focus of neurobiological studies of the disorder, are influencing pharmacotherapeutic research strategies, and – though not discussed here – are close to impacting on clinical diagnostic practice (Costain et al., 2013; Rees et al., 2014). Equally, with the discoveries comes the sobering realisation that the genetic basis of schizophrenia is even more complex, in many ways, than had generally been anticipated. Finding loci and genes for schizophrenia is a triumph, but it is merely the start of a long process towards meaningful biological understanding, let alone better treatment, of the disorder. Genetics augments but does not replace the other key elements in drug development, and does not remove the many other hurdles (Filippich et al., 2013; Hyman, 2014; Pratt et al., 2012; Winchester et al.,
