4 What does GWAS stand for How are these studies used to loo

4. What does GWAS stand for? How are these studies used to look for genetic variants?

Solution

GWAS stands for genome wide association study. it is also known as whole genome association study. it is an examination of a genome-wide set of genetic variants in different individuals to see if any variant is associated with a trait.  these studies typically focus on associations between single-nucleotide polymorphisms

These studies compare the DNA of individuals having varying phenotypes for a particular trait. These individuals include people with a disease (cases) and people without disease (controls). This approach is known as phenotype-first, in which the individuals are classified first by their clinical manifestations. Each person gives a sample of DNA, from which millions of genetic variants are read using SNP arrays. If one type of the variant (one allele) is more frequent in people with the disease, the variant is said to be associated with the disease. The associated SNPs are then considered to mark a region of the human genome that may influence the risk of disease.