Genome-Wide Association Studies

Book excerpt: This book examines the utility of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in the era of next-generation sequencing and big data, identifies limitations and potential means of overcoming them, and looks to the future of GWAS and what may lay beyond. GWAS are among the most powerful tools for elucidating the genetic aspects of human and disease diversity. In Genome-Wide Association Studies, experts in the field explore in depth the impacts of GWAS on genomic research into a variety of common diseases, including cardiovascular, autoimmune, diabetic, cancer, and infectious diseases. The book will equip readers with a sound understanding both of the types of disease and phenotypes that are suited for GWAS and of the ways in which a road map resulting from GWAS can lead to the realization of personalized/precision medicine: functional analysis, drug seeds, pathway analysis, disease mechanism, risk prediction, and diagnosis.