title: Genome-wide association studies: inherent limitations and future challenges.
abstract: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have achieved great success in identifying genetic variants related to complex human diseases such as cancer and have provided valuable insights into their genetic architecture. Recently, GWAS is quite the fashion in China. However, there are issues related to its nature. Enormous work needs to be done in the post-GWAS era. Deep sequencing followed by functional studies will be needed to elucidate the underpinning biological mechanisms and further translate GWAS findings into medical practice. Along with pharmacogenomics, the success of GWAS in identifying genetic risk factors and genetic differences in drug response has been gradually enabling personalized medicine. In this article, we used hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) as an example to demonstrate some of the inherent limitations and summarized future challenges of GWAS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Jiaxin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Wenjun
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Yifang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Guangwen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cao
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D030342:Genetic Diseases, Inborn / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D036281:Genetic Research; D055106:Genome-Wide Association Study; D006801:Humans