Epigenomic studies in epidemiology

An epigenomic epidemiologic study may be used to investigate relationships among exposures to environmental, lifestyle, genetic, and socioeconomic risk factors, the epigenome, and disease development or other specific outcomes. The choice of an appropriate study design has a key role in determining the success of the study. In addition, since epigenetic marks are highly tissue specific, the ideal tissues to analyze in an epidemiologic study are target tissues, but this may not always be possible, making the choice of a surrogate tissue a key element. Moreover, epidemiologic studies usually involve large sample sizes, and therefore, selecting a cost-effective method of analysis is critical. This chapter addresses factors that should be taken into account when designing an epigenomic epidemiologic study.