Multiple regulatory elements distant from their targets on the linear genome can 
influence the expression of a single gene through chromatin looping. Chromosome 
conformation capture implemented in Hi-C allows for genome-wide agnostic 
characterization of chromatin contacts. However, detection of functional 
enhancer-promoter interactions is precluded by its effective resolution that is 
determined by both restriction fragmentation and sensitivity of the experiment. 
Here we develop a capture Hi-C (cHi-C) approach to allow an agnostic 
characterization of these physical interactions on a genome-wide scale. 
Single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with complex diseases often reside 
within regulatory elements and exert effects through long-range regulation of 
gene expression. Applying this cHi-C approach to 14 colorectal cancer risk loci 
allows us to identify key long-range chromatin interactions in cis and trans 
involving these loci.