Decoding the exposome: data science methodologies and implications in exposome-wide association studies (ExWASs).

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health Sciences
• Genetics
• Data Science

Background:

• The exposome encompasses all environmental exposures from conception onwards, significantly influencing human health.
• Understanding the interplay between genetics, environment, and health outcomes is complex.
• Quantifying the exposome's impact requires advanced methodologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the exposome concept and its role in environmental health.
• To introduce the exposome-wide association study (ExWAS) for analyzing phenotype-exposure relationships.
• To guide researchers in evaluating exposomic studies and their implications.

Main Methods:

• Discussing the joint impact of genetics and environmental factors on phenotypes.
• Introducing advanced data-driven methods for exposomic measurements in large cohorts.
• Defining the exposome-wide association study (ExWAS) for systematic discovery of associations.

Main Results:

• ExWAS enables systematic discovery of phenotype-exposure relationships.
• Controlling for multiple comparisons is crucial for identifying significant associations.
• Standardizing the term 'exposome-wide association study, ExWAS' improves communication.

Conclusions:

• The exposome concept is vital for understanding environmental influences on health.
• ExWAS provides a framework for analyzing complex environmental exposures.
• Future research should incorporate FAIR Data Principles, biobanks, and functional exposome studies.