Fig. 3.

Possible follow-up of GWAS on heart rate response to exercise. Cell models based on pluripotent stem cells provide a potential functional model to study GWAS findings using experimental manipulations that cannot be performed in vivo. Complex mechanisms of genetic interplay could be studied in animals that share a high percentage of their genomic sequence with humans, including mice, fruit flies, and zebrafishes. Tools such as gene knockdowns can be used to manipulate the genomes of these animal models. The ultimate application of knowledge initiated by GWAS findings in heart rate response to exercise lies in the improvement of primary and secondary prevention and personalized medicine to improve human health