  Decoding the genome confers the capability to predict characteristics of the
organism(phenotype) from DNA (genotype). We describe the present status and
future prospects of genomic prediction of complex traits in humans. Some highly
heritable complex phenotypes such as height and other quantitative traits can
already be predicted with reasonable accuracy from DNA alone. For many
diseases, including important common conditions such as coronary artery
disease, breast cancer, type I and II diabetes, individuals with outlier
polygenic scores (e.g., top few percent) have been shown to have 5 or even 10
times higher risk than average. Several psychiatric conditions such as
schizophrenia and autism also fall into this category. We discuss related
topics such as the genetic architecture of complex traits, sibling validation
of polygenic scores, and applications to adult health, in vitro fertilization
(embryo selection), and genetic engineering.
