Exposome and gene-environment interaction

Genetic influences were long thought to be largely independent of the social world. This notion is now called into question as increasing evidence underscores the interplay between the genome and the environment. Within the field of behaviour and molecular genetics we are facing the next level of understanding how genetic sources of individual differences are amplified or dampened by environmental and social factors and, conversely, how genetic pathways modulate environmental effects and social interactions. Essential to understand this multiple layer interplay is an as complete as possible assessment of environmental and social exposure. Such a collection of assessments (an exposome) was first proposed by Wild in the field of cancer epidemiology and quickly expanded to other disease fields In this course the concept of an exposome will be explained in the context of complex traits. The study of gene by environment or gene by exposure interactions and dependencies does make stringent assumptions about the data used. These studies can also present ethical dilemmas as healthy records, employment records and genetics data are combined. Both the methodological aspects and ethical aspects will be discussed in the course.