Lahore (Khyber Mail): A prestigious four-day international workshop, “Decoding the Genetics of Complex Diseases: A Short Course in GWAS Bioinformatics and Data Analysis,” was successfully held at The Nishat Hotel, Lahore. Organized by the Institute of Omics and Health Research (IOHR), the event aimed to equip participants with cutting-edge genomic tools to investigate the genetic basis of complex diseases such as diabetes, cancer, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder.
The program combined theoretical lectures with hands-on training in genome-wide association studies (GWAS), genetic risk prediction, and causal inference using Mendelian Randomization. Participants worked with advanced tools such as PLINK, R, Bash, FUMA, PRSice, and TwoSampleMR, essential for modern genomic research.
The workshop was led by distinguished international experts, including Prof. Dr. Karoline Kuchenbaecker (UCL, UK), Prof. Dr. Jim Knowles (Rutgers University, USA), Dr. Hailiang Huang (Harvard Medical School & Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, USA), Dr. Muhammad Ayub (UCL, UK), Dr. Arsalan Hassan (Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, USA), and Dr. Kai Yuan (Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, USA).
Participants were competitively selected from across Pakistan, receiving full funding covering travel, accommodation, meals, and workshop registration, ensuring accessibility for emerging researchers.
As part of the initiative, academic visits were conducted at Benazir Bhutto Hospital (Rawalpindi), Rawalpindi Medical University, Shifa International Hospital (Islamabad), and Punjab Institute of Mental Health (Lahore), strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration between genetic research and clinical practice.
The workshop highlighted the growing role of precision medicine and genetic epidemiology in Pakistan’s healthcare landscape, fostering national and international partnerships in the fight against complex diseases.
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