Publications by authors named "P Kirk Visscher"
Biobanks aim to improve our understanding of health and disease by collecting and analysing diverse biological and phenotypic information in large samples. So far, biobanks have largely pursued a population-based sampling strategy, where the individual is the unit of sampling, and familial relatedness occurs sporadically and by chance. This strategy has been remarkably efficient and successful, leading to thousands of scientific discoveries across multiple research domains, and plans for the next wave of biobanks are underway.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Scientists studied how certain genes affect height and body mass index (BMI) by looking at families with siblings.
- They found that links between genes and these traits could be seen both in family studies and in studies that look at a lot of DNA variations (called SNPs).
- They discovered that there are still many genetic factors influencing height and BMI that haven't been identified yet, showing that genetics is really complex and involves many genes working together.
The eukaryome of modern microbialites reveals distinct colonization across aquatic ecosystems.
NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes
September 2024
Protists are less studied for their role and diversity in ecosystems. Notably, protists have played and still play an important role in microbialites. Microbialites, or lithified microbial mats, represent the oldest evidence of fossil biofilms (~3.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFine-mapping refines genotype-phenotype association signals to identify causal variants underlying complex traits. However, current methods typically focus on individual genomic segments without considering the global genetic architecture. Here, we demonstrate the advantages of performing genome-wide fine-mapping (GWFM) and develop methods to facilitate GWFM.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Fine-mapping is a method used to identify specific genetic variants that cause complex traits, but traditional approaches often overlook the overall genetic context.
- This study introduces genome-wide fine-mapping (GWFM) as a more effective method, showing better performance in accuracy, replication, and cross-ancestry predictions compared to existing techniques.
- In analyzing the UK Biobank data, GWFM helped identify causal variants contributing to significant heritability for traits like body mass index, schizophrenia, and Crohn's disease, demonstrating its potential for future genetic research.