title: Genetics of common forms of heart failure: challenges and potential solutions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In contrast to many other human diseases, the use of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to identify genes for heart failure (HF) has had limited success. We will discuss the underlying challenges as well as potential new approaches to understanding the genetics of common forms of HF.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Recent research using intermediate phenotypes, more detailed and quantitative stratification of HF symptoms, founder populations and novel animal models has begun to allow researchers to make headway toward explaining the genetics underlying HF using GWAS techniques.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  By expanding analyses of HF to improved clinical traits, additional HF classifications and innovative model systems, the intractability of human HF GWAS should be ameliorated significantly.
authors.affiliation: aDepartment of Anesthesiology, Physiology and Medicine, Cardiovascular Research Laboratories bDepartment of Human Genetics, Microbiology and Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
authors.forename: Christoph D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Rau
authors.forename: Aldons J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Lusis
authors.forename: Yibin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D055106:Genome-Wide Association Study; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D010641:Phenotype