title: Genetic simulation tools for post-genome wide association studies of complex diseases.
abstract: Genetic simulation programs are used to model data under specified assumptions to facilitate the understanding and study of complex genetic systems. Standardized data sets generated using genetic simulation are essential for the development and application of novel analytical tools in genetic epidemiology studies. With continuing advances in high-throughput genomic technologies and generation and analysis of larger, more complex data sets, there is a need for updating current approaches in genetic simulation modeling. To provide a forum to address current and emerging challenges in this area, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) sponsored a workshop, entitled "Genetic Simulation Tools for Post-Genome Wide Association Studies of Complex Diseases" at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland on March 11-12, 2014. The goals of the workshop were to (1) identify opportunities, challenges, and resource needs for the development and application of genetic simulation models; (2) improve the integration of tools for modeling and analysis of simulated data; and (3) foster collaborations to facilitate development and applications of genetic simulation. During the course of the meeting, the group identified challenges and opportunities for the science of simulation, software and methods development, and collaboration. This paper summarizes key discussions at the meeting, and highlights important challenges and opportunities to advance the field of genetic simulation.
authors.affiliation: Surveillance Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: Huann-Sheng
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Division of Genomic Medicine, National Human Genome Research Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: Carolyn M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Hutter
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology and Genomics Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: Leah E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Mechanic
authors.affiliation: Division of Community, Family Medicine, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, NH 03755.
authors.forename: Christopher I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Amos
authors.affiliation: Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093.
authors.forename: Vineet
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bafna
authors.affiliation: Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710.
authors.forename: Elizabeth R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Hauser
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143.
authors.forename: Ryan D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Hernandez
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235.
authors.forename: Chun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071.
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Liberles
authors.affiliation: Susceptibility and Population Health Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, NIH, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709.
authors.forename: Kimberly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: McAllister
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, NH 03755.
authors.forename: Jason H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.affiliation: Office of Director, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: Dina N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Paltoo
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, Prevention and Population Sciences Program, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: George J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Papanicolaou
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802.
authors.forename: Marylyn D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Ritchie
authors.affiliation: Surveillance Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rosenfeld
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94107.
authors.forename: John S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Witte
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology and Genomics Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: Elizabeth M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Gillanders
authors.affiliation: Surveillance Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: Eric J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Feuer
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D004194:Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D055106:Genome-Wide Association Study; D023281:Genomics; D006801:Humans; D008957:Models, Genetic; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D012984:Software
keywords: complex phenotypes; computational resources; genetic simulation; next-generation sequencing; rare variants