For centuries, it was known that problematic drinking runs in families and genetic factors influence the etiology of AUD. Recent GWAS approaches have started elucidating the genetic loci related to AUD. At many GWAS loci strong LD extend to several hundred megabases and makes it difficult to identify the causal variant and candidate genes associated with alcoholism. Integration of genomic and transcriptomic data has opened the door for fine mapping and molecular genetic investigations into pathways and networks related to AUD. But there is still need of large scale “omics” data from diverse populations to effectively and accurately fine map the loci associated with alcoholism and other complex disorders. Many groups including Collaborative Studies of Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA) are generating “omics” data on African American and other diverse populations. Genomic data in diverse populations will also be useful for accurate disease risk prediction using polygenic risk scores. The future goal of precision medicine cannot be achieved without genetic association studies in diverse populations. Researchers from COGA are also generating transcriptomic and epigenomic data at single nuclei level from many
