Chunk #15 — Statistical Methods for Testing and Estimating GxE Interactions — Methods for biological interpretation and for testing specific categories of interaction
In the characterization setting, a “sufficient component” causal inference framework has been used extensively by VanderWeele and colleagues to propose new tests for “biologic interactions” and to develop scenarios where existing tests for statistical interaction may be given biologic interpretation [VanderWeele 2009; VanderWeele and Robins 2007]. Although these methods provide a consistent philosophical framework for defining and testing for interaction, their practical utility remains to be demonstrated. The biological insight obtained from using this framework may be limited since the underlying mechanism through which the exposures interact could be very broad and not pinpoint particular biological causes [Clayton 2012]. It is not clear how and whether the presence of such interaction can aid in design of biological experiments to provide more specific mechanistic insights.
