Genome-wide association studies in asthma; perhaps, the end of the beginning (original) (raw)

Purpose of review A large number of genetic loci contribute towards an individual's susceptibility to asthma and other complex diseases. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have provided us with a wealth of loci associated with asthma susceptibility, asthma endotypes and responsiveness to asthma medications. The reproducibility of these genetic loci across different studies highlights the interplay of general and population-specific risk alleles in asthma. Although GWASs have been successful in identifying disease-associated loci, there is still large potential for such studies to provide further insights into asthma pathogenesis.