Over the past decade, technological advances have greatly improved our understanding of type 2 diabetes and related traits. Bringing together comprehensive synopses written by leaders in the field, this book discusses the recent progress in defining the genetic basis for type 2 diabetes. The first part focuses on the impact of genome-wide association studies on our understanding of the genetic architecture of type 2 diabetes. Further chapters explore how variants affecting relevant metabolic traits influence diabetes susceptibility. Particular attention is also given to efforts to increase our understanding of sequence annotation in relevant tissues in diabetes and how this can be harnessed to leverage molecular mechanisms for genetic association signals. Finally, the impact of next-generation sequencing on gene discovery efforts in mendelian forms of diabetes and insulin resistance is covered in detail. Providing a comprehensive overview on the current knowledge of the genetic basis for type 2 diabetes and related traits, this book is essential reading for researchers with an interest in the etiology of diabetes and human genetics.