 In genetic epidemiology , a genome @-@ wide association study ( GWA study , or GWAS ) , also known as whole genome association study ( WGA study , or WGAS ) , is an examination of many common genetic variants in different individuals to see if any variant is associated with a trait . GWASs typically focus on associations between single @-@ nucleotide polymorphisms ( SNPs ) and a trait of interest. sierpni 2019 . A genome-wide association study (GWAS) is an investigation of the role of common genetic variants in the development of a trait or disease. GWAS typically focuses on the role of