The Genetics and Genomics of Asthma

Asthma is a common, clinically heterogeneous disease with strong evidence of heritability. Progress in defining the genetic underpinnings of asthma, however, has been slow and hampered by issues of inconsistency. Recent advances in the tools available for analysis-assaying transcription, sequence variation, and epigenetic marks on a genome-wide scale-have substantially altered this landscape. Applications of such approaches are consistent with heterogeneity at the level of causation and specify patterns of commonality with a wide range of alternative disease traits. Looking beyond the individual as the unit of study, advances in technology have also fostered comprehensive analysis of the human microbiome and its varied roles in health and disease. In this article, we consider the implications of these technological advances for our current understanding of the genetics and genomics of asthma.