keywords = "genetic algorithms, genetic programming, Exploratory
modelling for extracting relationships using genetic
and evolutionary navigation techniques, Artificial
intelligence, Glaucoma",
isbn13 = "978-3-319-16029-0",
DOI = "doi:10.1007/978-3-319-16030-6_2",
abstract = "The genetic basis for primary open-angle glaucoma
(POAG) is not yet understood but is likely the result
of many interacting genetic variants that influence
risk in the context of our local ecology. The
complexity of the genotype to phenotype mapping
relationship for common diseases like POAG necessitates
analytical approaches that move beyond parametric
statistical methods such as logistic regression that
assume a particular mathematical model. This is
particularly important in the era of big data where it
is routine to collect and analyse data sets with
hundreds of thousands of measured genetic variants in
thousands of human subjects. We introduce here the
Exploratory Modelling for Extracting Relationships
using Genetic and Evolutionary Navigation Techniques
(EMERGENT) algorithm as an artificial intelligence
approach to the genetic analysis of common human
diseases. EMERGENT builds models of genetic variation
from lists of mathematical functions using a form of
genetic programming called computational evolution. A
key feature of the system is the ability to use
pre-processed expert knowledge giving it the ability to
explore model space much as a human would. We describe
this system in detail and then apply it to the genetic
analysis of POAG in the Glaucoma Gene Environment
Initiative (GLAUGEN) study that included approximately
1,272 subjects with the disease and 1057 healthy
controls. A total of 657,366 single-nucleotide
polymorphisms (SNPs) from across the human genome were
measured in these subjects and available for analysis.
Analysis using the EMERGENT framework revealed a best
model consisting of six SNPs that map to at least six
different genes. Two of these genes have previously
been associated with POAG in several studies. The
others represent new hypotheses about the genetic basis
of POAG. All of the SNPs are involved in non-additive
gene-gene interactions. Further, the six genes are all
directly or indirectly related through biological
interactions to the vascular endothelial growth factor
(VEGF) gene that is an actively investigated drug
target for POAG. This study demonstrates the routine
application of an artificial intelligence-based system
for the genetic analysis of complex human diseases.",