Question

Phenotype-wide association study (PheWAS) is dependent on large amounts of medical data because

A. it primarily focuses on environmental factors influencing phenotypes
B. it investigates the relationship between phenotypes and lifestyle choices
C. it employs a small set of genetic data to study broad phenotypic outcomes
D. it utilizes the genetic data of many patients to associate the resultant phenotypes with specific genotypes

Answer 1

A Phenotype-wide association study (PheWAS) relies on substantial medical data to link genetic data from many individuals to various phenotypes, which broadens our understanding of how genetic differences manifest in populations.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Phenotype-wide association study (PheWAS) is dependent on large amounts of medical data because it utilizes the genetic data of many patients to associate the resultant phenotypes with specific genotypes. Unlike a Genome-wide Association Study (GWAS) that looks for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with diseases, PheWAS starts with genetic variants and identifies a range of phenotypes that are associated with those variants.

Large datasets are essential for PheWAS to accommodate the complexity of human genetics and the variability in how genetic differences express themselves in the physical traits and conditions of individuals within a population. It's important to note that while GWAS can provide markers for disease susceptibility and identify potential targets for therapy, PheWAS enables researchers to link specific genetic data across numerous patients to a wide variety of phenotypic outcomes.