Genetic Targets and Precision Medicine

The work of the Genetic Targets and Precision Medicine group focuses on the following three broad aims. 

Identify and prioritise genes as targets for drug development

The group develops and applies new statistical methods to provide genetic evidence in support of gene-disease pairs. This is done through the analysis of large-scale datasets combining genetic information with disease outcomes. These datasets include the UK Biobank and disease cohorts available through clinical collaborators. Genetic evidence for a role of a gene or protein in disease gives important support for its potential as a drug target and doubles the probability of success.

Identify biomarkers of treatment response and disease progression

The group applies Bayesian and machine learning methods to identify and evaluate biomarker signatures, with a particular focus on prognostic biomarkers for diabetes complications and predictive biomarkers for treatment response in rheumatoid arthritis. Such biomarkers could significantly improve disease management, including early diagnosis, screening for complications, and choosing the best treatment.

Evaluate the efficacy and safety of pharmacological interventions using real-world data

The group conducts pharmacoepidemiology studies based on large-scale electronic health record data, linking health outcomes with drug prescriptions and lab results. They have recently set up a research linkage study to work on the pharmacoepidemiology of autoimmune rheumatic diseases, where evidence on the safety and efficacy of newer biologic and targeted synthetic treatments is currently needed. They also have a long-standing collaboration with the Diabetes Medical Informatics and Epidemiology group at the Institute of Genetics and Cancer, conducting studies on the complications of diabetes and effects of interventions using data from the National Diabetes Research Platform.

Publications from this research group can be found on the co-leads' Edinburgh Research Explorer pages.