Genome-wide significance

Genome-wide significance refers to a statistical threshold used in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to determine whether a particular association between a genetic variant and a trait (such as a disease) is strong enough to be considered reliable and not due to chance. Given the vast number of genetic variants tested in GWAS—often millions—there's a high risk of false positives due to random chance. To address this, researchers apply a stringent significance threshold.