A GWAS discovery about Gene A doesn't just benefit research on Gene A. Biologically related genes—those in the same pathways—also benefit from the new knowledge.
GWAS Finding
Gene A → Disease X
→
KEGG Pathways
Biological relationships
→
Related Genes
B, C, D in same pathways
→
Spillover
Innovation on B-X, C-X
Key insight: KEGG pathways let us define biological "distance" between genes—enabling rigorous measurement of how far knowledge travels.