The next phase of big genetics
When:
Wednesday, Feb 06, 2019 6:30p -
7:30p
Wednesday, Feb 06, 2019 6:30p -
7:30p
Where:
Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
415 Main Street
Cambridge, MA 02142
Admission:
FREE
Categories:
Lectures & Conferences
Event website:
https://www.broadinstitute.org/science-all-seasons/science-all-seasons
The next phase of big genetics
For just over a decade, scientists have used an approach called the genome-wide association study, or GWAS, to measure the extent to which small, common variations called SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) at millions of sites across the genome affect traits like height or a person's risk of developing diseases like diabetes or heart attack. Thanks to GWAS, researchers have identified tens of thousands SNP-to-trait and SNP-to-disease links. The question today is: How do we put all these data to use to impact human health and advance our understanding of human biology?
Population geneticist Alicia Martin will provide a brief primer on GWAS, and explain how gaps in the diversity of the data available today affect how researchers make use of the data now and in the future. Cardiologist Amit Khera will discuss polygenic scoring, a method that integrates information from millions of SNPs to predict an individual's likelihood of developing a given disease. Cancer biologist JT Neal will talk about the challenges of studying the functional roles of the thousands of SNPs associated with disease, the genes and pathways they affect, the cells they impact — and doing it all at massive scale.
Alicia Martin
Research Fellow, Broad Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital
Amit Khera
Associated Scientist, Broad Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital
JT Neal
Research Scientist, Broad Institute
This is event free and open to the public.
Space is limited so register today!
About Science For All Seasons
Science for All Seasons gives you a chance to explore hot topics in genomics with leading experts from the Broad Institute. Find out what key advances, new technologies, and the latest findings mean for you in this free and open lecture series.
