Book Description

Genome-wide association (GWA) studies, as a prototype of large-scale OMICs studies, have advanced our understanding of the genetic basis of many common diseases. With respect to coronary artery disease (CAD) and cardiovascular risk factors, like lipids, blood pressure or BMI, they have identified hundreds of chromosomal loci that modulate disease risk. Despite their scientific success, GWA studies have been criticized for having failed so far in delivering diagnostically or therapeutically relevant products. However, the ability to achieve such goals has been strengthened recently by further layers of OMICs-based data, including large-scale transcriptomics data, and better annotation of regulatory sequences and epigenetic changes in the genome (e.g. through the ENCODE project), as well as novel tools for bioinformatics analysis, allowing a systems medicine based approach to be applied. All in all, the last decade with its “gold rush of genomic discovery” led to the identification of known and novel pathways involved in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases and point to novel treatment targets. This Research Topic has gathered contributions from scientists working in the field of cardiovascular genetics who have common interests in understanding the pathomechanisms linking genetic association findings and disease to finally translate the findings from large-scale genetic studies into novel treatment options.