A decade of genome-wide association studies involving over 100,000 people has advanced the understanding of coronary artery disease genetics, though challenges remain in identifying causal genes.
This review highlights the progress and future challenges of using genome-wide association studies to understand coronary artery disease genetics and its potential for precision medicine.
In this review, we summarize current knowledge on the genetics of coronary artery disease, based on 10 years of genome-wide association studies. The discoveries began with individual studies using 200K single nucleotide polymorphism arrays and progressed to large-scale collaborative efforts, involving more than a 100 000 people and up to 40 Mio genetic variants. We discuss the challenges ahead, including those involved in identifying causal genes and deciphering the links between risk variants and disease pathology. We also describe novel insights into disease biology based on the findings of genome-wide association studies. Moreover, we discuss the potential for discovery of novel treatment targets through the integration of different layers of 'omics' data and the application of systems genetics approaches. Finally, we provide a brief outlook on the potential for precision medicine to be enhanced by genome-wide association study findings in the cardiovascular field.
Erdmann et al. (Thu,) conducted a review in Coronary artery disease (n=100,000). Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) was evaluated. A decade of genome-wide association studies involving over 100,000 people has advanced the understanding of coronary artery disease genetics, though challenges remain in identifying causal genes.