Question

What is a limitation of a genome-wide association study?

Short answer

A major limitation of a genome-wide association study is that it only identifies common variants with small effect sizes and often fails to provide a clear understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying the disease. Additionally, findings are not always replicable across different populations, and the study is expensive requiring a large number of subjects.

Step-by-step solution

Understanding a GWAS

A genome-wide association study is an approach that involves rapidly scanning markers across the complete sets of DNA, or genomes, of many people to find genetic variations associated with a particular disease.

Outline the limitations of GWAS

Now list out what could be the potential flaws or limitations with a genome-wide association study. Major limitations include: 1. GWAS usually only identifies common variants with small effect sizes. 2. The studies often fail to provide a clear understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying the disease. 3. There's often a lack of replicability of findings across different populations. 4. GWAS is very expensive and requires a large number of subjects.