GWAS
Science & Engineering abbreviation · Genetics
| Stands for | Genome-wide association study |
|---|---|
| Categories | Science & Engineering |
GWAS stands for Genome-wide association study, a genetics abbreviation.
Study that scans hundreds of thousands to millions of SNPs across the genomes of many people to find variants more common in those with a trait or disease. GWAS have linked thousands of genomic regions to conditions such as type 2 diabetes, schizophrenia and heart disease, and to traits like height.
Example: A GWAS of about 1.1 million people identified new loci associated with educational attainment.
Usage notes
Pronounced "gee-wahs." One of the first successful GWAS, published in 2005, linked the complement factor H gene to age-related macular degeneration. Because so many variants are tested, a result is usually considered genome-wide significant only below p = 5 x 10^-8. Most associated variants have tiny individual effects and lie outside protein-coding genes.
Related abbreviations
More genetics abbreviations
- CpG – Cytosine-phosphate-guanine (site)
- dsDNA – Double-stranded DNA
- eQTL – Expression quantitative trait locus
- FISH – Fluorescence in situ hybridization
- GC – Guanine-cytosine (content)
- gDNA – Genomic DNA
- HDR – Homology-directed repair
- HGP – Human Genome Project
- HWE – Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium
- indel – Insertion-deletion
- kb – Kilobase
- LD – Linkage disequilibrium