One of the most difficult issues to be solved in genome-wide association st
udies is to reduce the amount of genomic DNA required for genotyping. Curre
ntly available technologies require too large a quantity of genomic DNA to
genotype with hundreds or thousands of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP
s). To overcome this problem, we combined the Invader assay with multiplex
polymerase chain reaction (PCR), carried out in the presence of antibody to
Taq polymerase, as well as using a novel 384-well card system that can red
uce the required reaction volume. We amplified 100 genomic DNA fragments, e
ach containing one SNP, in a single tube, and analyzed each SNP with the In
vader assay. This procedure correctly genotyped 98 of the 100 SNP loci exam
ined in PCR-amplified samples from ten individuals; the genotypes were conf
irmed by direct sequencing. The reproducibility and universality of the met
hod were confirmed with two additional sets of 100 SNPs. Because we used 40
ng of genomic DNA as a template for multiplex PCR, the amount needed to ass
ay one SNP was only 0.4ng; therefore, theoretically, more than 200,000 SNPs
could be genotyped at once when 100 mug of genomic DNA is available. Our r
esults indicate the feasibility of undertaking genome-wide association stud
ies using blood samples of only 5-10ml.