11 Multiomic data analysis

The objective of the present chapter is to introduce some approaches to analyze studies with multiomic data. These are studies that, for instance, have collected genomic, transcriptomic and exposomic data, or other types of omic data, on the same individuals. The volume of the data allows for multiple and complex relationships within and between the datasets. The broad objective is therefore to identify the relationships that are derived from underlying biological mechanisms. The field is wide open and while many types of analysis can be applied, and will be developed, we keep an eye on those that allow us to explain phenotypic differences between individuals. We demonstrate specific examples comprising two different approaches, namely multi-staged and meta-dimensional analyses.

The R code to reproduce the results and figures of this chapter can be found here.