Methylomic profiling in schizophrenia: towards an integrated genetic-epigenetic approach
Lead Research Organisation:
UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
Department Name: Peninsula Medical School
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder, characterized by psychotic symptoms, delusions and hallucinations, disorganisation, dysfunctional affective responses, and altered cognitive functioning. The social and economic consequences of schizophrenia are severe, eclipsing those of many other illnesses. With a lifetime prevalence rate of ~1%, schizophrenia contributes significantly to the global burden of disease, ranking among the top ten causes of disability in developed countries worldwide. Current approaches to understanding the causes of schizophrenia have focused primarily on uncovering a genetic contribution to the disorder, although identifying risk variants has not been straightforward. Furthermore, there is considerable heterogeneity across studies and the mechanism behind the action of genetic risk variants remains largely unknown. Despite considerable research effort, therefore, we are remain no closer to understanding the precise aetiology of SZ and a long way from realising the post-genomic promises of novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
Sequencing the genome was, however, only the first step in our quest to understand how genes are expressed and regulated. Sitting above the DNA sequence is a second layer of information (the 'epigenome') that mediates the regulation of when and where genes are functionally transcribed. Unlike the DNA sequence, which is stable and strongly conserved, epigenetic processes can be highly dynamic: not only are they developmentally-regulated, but they can also be modified by exposure to a range of external environmental factors and stochastic events in the cell.
This study aims, for the first time, to systematically examine the role of epigenetic processes in schizophrenia, focusing on DNA methylation, a chemical modification to DNA that can directly influence gene transcription and function. We will use cutting-edge methods to examine genome-wide patterns of DNA methylation in several unique collections of samples. First, we will use a large collaborative collection of schizophrenia patients and controls. These samples have already been extensively studied at the genetic level, enabling us to undertake an integrated genetic-epigenetic approach to schizophrenia. Second, we will examine epigenetic differences within genetically-identical monozygotic twin-pairs, where one twin has schizophrenia and the other does not. Third, we will examine differences in brain tissue taken post-mortem from patients with schizophrenia. Finally, we will assess epigenetic changes across specific regions of the genome in individuals at high-risk for developing schizophrenia, tracking changes in DNA methylation with disease onset.
Our proposed integrated genetic-epigenetic approach brings together a world-class group of epigeneticists, geneticists, clinicians and bioinformaticians with the ultimate goal of identifying peripheral epigenetic biomarkers for schizophrenia and transforming diagnostic, therapeutic, and future aetiological approaches to the disease.
Sequencing the genome was, however, only the first step in our quest to understand how genes are expressed and regulated. Sitting above the DNA sequence is a second layer of information (the 'epigenome') that mediates the regulation of when and where genes are functionally transcribed. Unlike the DNA sequence, which is stable and strongly conserved, epigenetic processes can be highly dynamic: not only are they developmentally-regulated, but they can also be modified by exposure to a range of external environmental factors and stochastic events in the cell.
This study aims, for the first time, to systematically examine the role of epigenetic processes in schizophrenia, focusing on DNA methylation, a chemical modification to DNA that can directly influence gene transcription and function. We will use cutting-edge methods to examine genome-wide patterns of DNA methylation in several unique collections of samples. First, we will use a large collaborative collection of schizophrenia patients and controls. These samples have already been extensively studied at the genetic level, enabling us to undertake an integrated genetic-epigenetic approach to schizophrenia. Second, we will examine epigenetic differences within genetically-identical monozygotic twin-pairs, where one twin has schizophrenia and the other does not. Third, we will examine differences in brain tissue taken post-mortem from patients with schizophrenia. Finally, we will assess epigenetic changes across specific regions of the genome in individuals at high-risk for developing schizophrenia, tracking changes in DNA methylation with disease onset.
Our proposed integrated genetic-epigenetic approach brings together a world-class group of epigeneticists, geneticists, clinicians and bioinformaticians with the ultimate goal of identifying peripheral epigenetic biomarkers for schizophrenia and transforming diagnostic, therapeutic, and future aetiological approaches to the disease.
Technical Summary
We propose a comprehensive genome-wide analysis of epigenetic dysfunction associated with schizophrenia (SZ) using cutting-edge methodologies to identify novel pathways involved in pathogenesis. We will examine genome-wide patterns of DNA methylation in a unique collection of samples. First, via collaboration with research groups involved in the UK10K consortium, we will undertake methylomic analysis using the Illumina Infinium 450K array in SZ samples (n=1700) and matched controls (n=1700) from ongoing genome-wide association study (GWAS) and exome sequencing projects, enabling us to perform an integrated epigenetic-genetic analytical strategy and representing the largest epigenome-wide association study yet undertaken. Specific SZ-associated differentially methylated regions (DMRs) will be verified and subsequently replicated in another set of samples using the Sequenom EpiTYPER platform and bisulfite pyrosequencing. Validated DMRs will also be examined longitudinally in a high-risk prodromal cohort to investigate epigenetic changes associated with the transition into disease. Second, we will examine genome-wide patterns of DNA methylation in MZ twin-pairs discordant for SZ using the largest collection of such samples ever assessed. This will enable us to examine the epigenome independent of any underlying genomic sequence variation and allow us to fully control for factors such as age, sex and the early (pre- and peri-natal) environment while providing further independent validation/replication for SZ-associated regions implicated in Aim 1. Third, we will use post-mortem brain samples obtained from SZ cases and controls to examine the extent to which disease-associated epigenetic marks detected in the periphery reflect changes occurring in functionally-relevant tissues. A key element of data analysis will involve the integration of epigenetic information with GWAS data, exome sequencing and other clinical/demographic data using novel methods developed in our lab.
Planned Impact
In addition to other scientists (especially other and research groups investigating the aetiology of schizophrenia) the results of this project have the potential to impact on a number of other beneficiaries. These include patients suffering from schizophrenia, the pharmaceutical industry, health service providers, and academic groups investigating the causes of other complex disease phenotypes.
The social and economic consequences of schizophrenia are severe, eclipsing those of many other mental and somatic illnesses. With a lifetime prevalence rate of ~1%, the disorder contributes significantly to the global burden of disease, ranking among the top ten causes of disability in developed countries worldwide. Importantly, there is no cure for schizophrenia, and available treatments are often inefficient and characterized by severe side-effects. Given the dynamic and potentially-reversible nature of the epigenome, the outputs from this research could potentially nominate new targets for drug development for the treatment of schizophrenia. A number of pharmaceutical companies are actively developing so-called "epigenetic drugs" and could rapidly take advantage of these outputs. Our data may also highlight novel neurobiological pathways involved in schizophrenia, again stimulating the development of novel therapeutic interventions. Developing new treatments for schizophrenia will have subsequent benefits to the family and friends of affected individuals, and potentially boost the economy by enabling affected individuals to return to work.
Another positive output of this research may be the identification of potential blood biomarkers for risk of schizophrenia, which could have important public health implications. For example, if we are able to detect epigenetic changes in our high-risk prodromal samples, this could be used to develop tests for the disease before symptoms become manifest, resulting in more relevant and targeted interventions. Identifying biological correlates of schizophrenia may also help remove some of the stigma associated with the disease.
Finally, we hope that our novel integrated genetic-epigenetic approach to schizophrenia may stimulate similar research strategies to be adopted by academics working in the context of other complex disease phenotypes.
The social and economic consequences of schizophrenia are severe, eclipsing those of many other mental and somatic illnesses. With a lifetime prevalence rate of ~1%, the disorder contributes significantly to the global burden of disease, ranking among the top ten causes of disability in developed countries worldwide. Importantly, there is no cure for schizophrenia, and available treatments are often inefficient and characterized by severe side-effects. Given the dynamic and potentially-reversible nature of the epigenome, the outputs from this research could potentially nominate new targets for drug development for the treatment of schizophrenia. A number of pharmaceutical companies are actively developing so-called "epigenetic drugs" and could rapidly take advantage of these outputs. Our data may also highlight novel neurobiological pathways involved in schizophrenia, again stimulating the development of novel therapeutic interventions. Developing new treatments for schizophrenia will have subsequent benefits to the family and friends of affected individuals, and potentially boost the economy by enabling affected individuals to return to work.
Another positive output of this research may be the identification of potential blood biomarkers for risk of schizophrenia, which could have important public health implications. For example, if we are able to detect epigenetic changes in our high-risk prodromal samples, this could be used to develop tests for the disease before symptoms become manifest, resulting in more relevant and targeted interventions. Identifying biological correlates of schizophrenia may also help remove some of the stigma associated with the disease.
Finally, we hope that our novel integrated genetic-epigenetic approach to schizophrenia may stimulate similar research strategies to be adopted by academics working in the context of other complex disease phenotypes.
Organisations
- UNIVERSITY OF EXETER (Lead Research Organisation)
- Princeton University (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH (Collaboration)
- Aarhus University (Collaboration)
- Eli Lilly & Company Ltd (Collaboration)
- Karolinska University Hospital (Collaboration)
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (Collaboration)
- UK Biobank (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX (Collaboration)
- KING'S COLLEGE LONDON (Collaboration)
- University of Bristol (Collaboration)
Publications
Ajnakina O
(2018)
Utilising symptom dimensions with diagnostic categories improves prediction of time to first remission in first-episode psychosis.
in Schizophrenia research
Ajnakina O
(2017)
Patterns of illness and care over the 5 years following onset of psychosis in different ethnic groups; the GAP-5 study.
in Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology
Al Fayez H
(2017)
Duration of untreated psychosis and pathway to care in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
in Early intervention in psychiatry
Allen P
(2016)
Resting Hyperperfusion of the Hippocampus, Midbrain, and Basal Ganglia in People at High Risk for Psychosis.
in The American journal of psychiatry
Barkus E
(2016)
Are deficits in cognition associated with psychotic-like experiences after cannabis? Cannabis experiences and cognition
in Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental
Bell CG
(2019)
DNA methylation aging clocks: challenges and recommendations.
in Genome biology
Bell, Christopher G.
(2019)
DNA methylation aging clocks: challenges and recommendations
Bhavsar V
(2018)
Tobacco smoking is associated with psychotic experiences in the general population of South London.
in Psychological medicine
Description | CASE STUDENTSHIP |
Amount | £100,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | MR/P016227/1 |
Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 08/2017 |
End | 09/2021 |
Description | Defining Best Practises for Data Science Education across Disciplines |
Amount | £16,191 (GBP) |
Organisation | Alan Turing Institute |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 01/2023 |
End | 01/2024 |
Description | Development of software to model multi-modal genomic data as an integrated system: application to understanding the gene regulatory landscape |
Amount | £823,688 (GBP) |
Funding ID | EP/V052527/1 |
Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 11/2021 |
End | 10/2026 |
Description | Exeter Brain Network |
Amount | £10,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | University of Exeter |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 01/2023 |
End | 01/2024 |
Description | NARSAD YOUNG INVESTIGATOR [EILIS HANNON] |
Amount | $70,000 (USD) |
Organisation | Brain & Behaviour Research Foundation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United States |
Start | 01/2018 |
End | 12/2019 |
Description | NARSAD/BBRF DISTINGUISHED INVESTIGATOR AWARD |
Amount | $100,000 (USD) |
Organisation | Brain & Behaviour Research Foundation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United States |
Start | 03/2016 |
End | 03/2017 |
Description | Research grant |
Amount | £1,012,743 (GBP) |
Funding ID | MR/R005176/1 |
Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 01/2018 |
End | 12/2020 |
Description | The Autism Prenatal Sex Differences (APEX) study |
Amount | $16,000,000 (USD) |
Organisation | Simons Foundation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United States |
Start | 01/2022 |
End | 01/2027 |
Title | Brain methylation QTL database |
Description | Epigenetic processes play a key role in orchestrating transcriptional regulation during development. The importance of DNA methylation in fetal brain development is highlighted by the dynamic expression of de novo DNA methyltransferases during the perinatal period and neurodevelopmental deficits associated with mutations in the methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MECP2) gene. However, our knowledge about the temporal changes to the epigenome during fetal brain development has, to date, been limited. We quantified genome-wide patterns of DNA methylation at ~400,000 sites in 179 human fetal brain samples (100 male, 79 female) spanning 23 to 184 days post-conception. We identified highly significant changes in DNA methylation across fetal brain development at >7% of sites, with an enrichment of loci becoming hypomethylated with fetal age. Sites associated with developmental changes in DNA methylation during fetal brain development were significantly under-represented in promoter regulatory regions but significantly over-represented in regions flanking CpG islands (shores and shelves) and gene bodies. Highly significant differences in DNA methylation were observed between males and females at a number of autosomal sites, with a small number of regions showing sex-specific DNA methylation trajectories across brain development. Weighted gene co-methylation network analysis (WGCNA) revealed discrete modules of co-methylated loci associated with fetal age that are significantly enriched for genes involved in neurodevelopmental processes. This is, to our knowledge, the most extensive study of DNA methylation across human fetal brain development to date, confirming the prenatal period as a time of considerable epigenomic plasticity. We developed a searchable web-resource of DNA methylation trajectories occurring during fetal brain development. |
Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
Year Produced | 2015 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | This has been widely used by other groups studying the genomics of brain disorders. |
URL | http://epigenetics.iop.kcl.ac.uk/fetalbrain/ |
Title | http://epigenetics.essex.ac.uk/bloodbrain/ |
Description | While it is widely acknowledged that the choice of a relevant tissue is imperative for the biological interpretation of epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS), obtaining such samples, particularly in the numbers required to overcome the multiple testing burden of testing loci genome-wide, can be challenging. This is true for studies of brain disorders, such as schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease and autism, where often alternative, easily obtainable peripheral tissues such as blood or buccal samples are used instead. In order to establish the relevance of associated loci, these are subsequently followed up in available cohorts of brain tissue. Here we introduce an online tool which allows the user to perform this secondary analysis by investigating the correlation of DNA methylation in blood with four brain regions (prefrontal cortex, entorhinal cortex, superior temporal gyrus and cerebellum) from 71-75 matched samples for all probes present on the Illumina 450K Beadchip array. |
Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
Year Produced | 2015 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | This has been widely used by other groups assessing epigenetic biomarkers of brain disorders. |
URL | http://epigenetics.essex.ac.uk/bloodbrain/ |
Title | Blood Brain DNA Methylation Comparison Tool |
Description | While it is widely acknowledged that the choice of a relevant tissue is imperative for the biological interpretation of epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS), obtaining such samples, particularly in the numbers required to overcome the multiple testing burden of testing loci genome-wide, can be challenging. This is true for studies of brain disorders, such as schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease and autism, where often alternative, easily obtainable peripheral tissues such as blood or buccal samples are used instead. In order to establish the relevance of associated loci, these are subsequently followed up in available cohorts of brain tissue. Here we introduce an online tool which allows the user to perform this secondary analysis by investigating the correlation of DNA methylation in blood with four brain regions (prefrontal cortex, entorhinal cortex, superior temporal gyrus and cerebellum) from 71-75 matched samples for all probes present on the Illumina 450K Beadchip array. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2015 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | Several other groups have used and cited this resource in their publications. |
URL | http://epigenetics.essex.ac.uk/bloodbrain/ |
Title | Brain methylation QTL database |
Description | We characterized DNA methylation quantitative trait loci (mQTLs) in a large collection (n=166) of human fetal brain samples spanning 56-166 days post-conception, identifying >16,000 fetal brain mQTLs. Fetal brain mQTLs are primarily cis-acting, enriched in regulatory chromatin domains and transcription factor binding sites, and show significant overlap with genetic variants also associated with gene expression in the brain. Using tissue from three distinct regions of the adult brain (prefrontal cortex, striatum and cerebellum) we show that most fetal brain mQTLs are developmentally stable, although a subset is characterized by fetal-specific effects. We show that fetal brain mQTLs are enriched amongst risk loci identified in a recent large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) of schizophrenia, a severe psychiatric disorder with a hypothesized neurodevelopmental component. Finally, we demonstrate how mQTLs can be used to refine GWAS loci through the identification of discrete sites of variable fetal brain methylation associated with schizophrenia risk variants. mQTLs can be searched in our online database. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2015 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | This has been used by other groups in their analysis of genetic/epigenetic data. |
URL | http://epigenetics.essex.ac.uk/mQTL/ |
Title | Fetal brain methylomic trajectories |
Description | Epigenetic processes play a key role in orchestrating transcriptional regulation during development. The importance of DNA methylation in fetal brain development is highlighted by the dynamic expression of de novo DNA methyltransferases during the perinatal period and neurodevelopmental deficits associated with mutations in the methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MECP2) gene. However, our knowledge about the temporal changes to the epigenome during fetal brain development has, to date, been limited. We quantified genome-wide patterns of DNA methylation at ~400,000 sites in 179 human fetal brain samples (100 male, 79 female) spanning 23 to 184 days post-conception. We identified highly significant changes in DNA methylation across fetal brain development at >7% of sites, with an enrichment of loci becoming hypomethylated with fetal age. Sites associated with developmental changes in DNA methylation during fetal brain development were significantly under-represented in promoter regulatory regions but significantly over-represented in regions flanking CpG islands (shores and shelves) and gene bodies. Highly significant differences in DNA methylation were observed between males and females at a number of autosomal sites, with a small number of regions showing sex-specific DNA methylation trajectories across brain development. Weighted gene co-methylation network analysis (WGCNA) revealed discrete modules of co-methylated loci associated with fetal age that are significantly enriched for genes involved in neurodevelopmental processes. This is, to our knowledge, the most extensive study of DNA methylation across human fetal brain development to date, confirming the prenatal period as a time of considerable epigenomic plasticity. A searchable web-resource of DNA methylation trajectories occurring during fetal brain development was developed as part of this work. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2015 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | This database has been used by other groups and cited in papers and scientific presentations. |
URL | http://epigenetics.essex.ac.uk/fetalbrain/ |
Title | Genetics of DNA methylation Consortium mQTL dataset |
Description | Cis and trans meta-analysis results from genome-wide scans of 420,509 DNA methylation sites |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2021 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | Therse data are being widely used by the wider research community. |
URL | http://mqtldb.godmc.org.uk/ |
Title | Human brain development genomics resource |
Description | We have published two manuscripts profiling DNA modifications (DNA methylation and DNA hydroxymethylation) across human fetal brain development; Methylomic trajectories across human fetal brain development (2015) and Trajectories of DNA hydroxymethylation across human brain development(2017). The abstracts for these manuscripts are provided under the Abstracts tab on this page. You can search the data produced for these publications. See the corresponding tabs to access functions enabling you to; Plot data for individual CpG sites Plot data for all CpG sites associated with a gene Plot data for all CpG sites within a defined genomic region Extract data for specific probes Download tables and figures described in the manuscripts |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2017 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | Several new collaborations and requests for data use. |
URL | https://epigenetics.essex.ac.uk/fetalbrain2/ |
Title | Interindividual methylomic variation across blood, cortex, and cerebellum: implications for epigenetic studies of neurological and neuropsychiatric phenotypes |
Description | Given the tissue-specific nature of epigenetic processes, the assessment of disease-relevant tissue is an important consideration for epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS). Little is known about whether easily accessible tissues, such as whole blood, can be used to address questions about interindividual epigenomic variation in inaccessible tissues, such as the brain. We quantified DNA methylation in matched DNA samples isolated from whole blood and 4 brain regions (prefrontal cortex, entorhinal cortex, superior temporal gyrus, and cerebellum) from 122 individuals. We explored co-variation between tissues and the extent to which methylomic variation in blood is predictive of interindividual variation identified in the brain. For the majority of DNA methylation sites, interindividual variation in whole blood is not a strong predictor of interindividual variation in the brain, although the relationship with cortical regions is stronger than with the cerebellum. Variation at a subset of probes is strongly correlated across tissues, even in instances when the actual level of DNA methylation is significantly different between them. A substantial proportion of this co-variation, however, is likely to result from genetic influences. Our data suggest that for the majority of the genome, a blood-based EWAS for disorders where brain is presumed to be the primary tissue of interest will give limited information relating to underlying pathological processes. These results do not, however, discount the utility of using a blood-based EWAS to identify biomarkers of disease phenotypes manifest in the brain. We have generated a searchable database for the interpretation of data from blood-based EWAS analyses (http://epigenetics.essex.ac.uk/bloodbrain/). |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2015 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://tandf.figshare.com/articles/Interindividual_methylomic_variation_across_blood_cortex_and_cer... |
Title | Interindividual methylomic variation across blood, cortex, and cerebellum: implications for epigenetic studies of neurological and neuropsychiatric phenotypes |
Description | Given the tissue-specific nature of epigenetic processes, the assessment of disease-relevant tissue is an important consideration for epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS). Little is known about whether easily accessible tissues, such as whole blood, can be used to address questions about interindividual epigenomic variation in inaccessible tissues, such as the brain. We quantified DNA methylation in matched DNA samples isolated from whole blood and 4 brain regions (prefrontal cortex, entorhinal cortex, superior temporal gyrus, and cerebellum) from 122 individuals. We explored co-variation between tissues and the extent to which methylomic variation in blood is predictive of interindividual variation identified in the brain. For the majority of DNA methylation sites, interindividual variation in whole blood is not a strong predictor of interindividual variation in the brain, although the relationship with cortical regions is stronger than with the cerebellum. Variation at a subset of probes is strongly correlated across tissues, even in instances when the actual level of DNA methylation is significantly different between them. A substantial proportion of this co-variation, however, is likely to result from genetic influences. Our data suggest that for the majority of the genome, a blood-based EWAS for disorders where brain is presumed to be the primary tissue of interest will give limited information relating to underlying pathological processes. These results do not, however, discount the utility of using a blood-based EWAS to identify biomarkers of disease phenotypes manifest in the brain. We have generated a searchable database for the interpretation of data from blood-based EWAS analyses (http://epigenetics.essex.ac.uk/bloodbrain/). |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2015 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://tandf.figshare.com/articles/dataset/Interindividual_methylomic_variation_across_blood_cortex... |
Title | Schizophrenia brain methylomic data |
Description | Methylation array data for schizophrenia and control samples. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2014 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | Other groups are using their data in their analyses. |
URL | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc=GSE61431 |
Title | mQTL and SMR database |
Description | As part of our project identifying DNA methylation quantitative trait loci and using these to fine-map genetic association signals we have created an online database/tool that enables other research groups to use these data in their work. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2018 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | We have several groups contact us for collaboration. The data has been used in several other studies. |
URL | https://epigenetics.essex.ac.uk/shiny/ShinySMR/ |
Description | Collaboration with Eli Lilly & Co |
Organisation | Eli Lilly & Company Ltd |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | We have begun working extensively with collaborators at Eli Lilly on projects spanning neuroscience, genomics, dementia and schizophrenia. We now have a joint grant funded and two CASE PhD students. |
Collaborator Contribution | Access to transgenic models and resources for research studies Access to laboratory facilities and compounds Co-funding of students |
Impact | We have submitted several grant applications, and have been funded by ARUK to undertake a joint project on rodent models of neuropathology. We have successfully applied for funding for two CASE PhD students [one MRC, one BBSRC] |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Collaboration with Olga Troyanskaya and team |
Organisation | Princeton University |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We have established a collaboration with Olga Troyanskaya and her team. We are providing data and bioinformatics pipelines to the collaboration. |
Collaborator Contribution | They are using our data to generate deep-learning models for the prediction of cell-specific epigenetic states and alternative splicing of transcripts. |
Impact | The collaboration has just started but we are planning to develop models for predicting transcriptional states and epigenetic regulation using AI. |
Start Year | 2023 |
Description | Collaboration with The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research (iPsych) and Minerva consortia |
Organisation | Aarhus University |
Country | Denmark |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We are working extensively on DNA methylation analyses of dried blood spots collected at birth to identify molecular biomarkers of prenatal exposures and risk for developing psychiatric illness. |
Collaborator Contribution | We have played an integral role in analysing and generating DNAS methylation data from Danish blood spot data. I am a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for iPsych. |
Impact | We have been involved in several collaborative research projects, with several papers already published and other in preparation. |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Collaboration with The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research (iPsych) and Minerva consortia |
Organisation | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We are working extensively on DNA methylation analyses of dried blood spots collected at birth to identify molecular biomarkers of prenatal exposures and risk for developing psychiatric illness. |
Collaborator Contribution | We have played an integral role in analysing and generating DNAS methylation data from Danish blood spot data. I am a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for iPsych. |
Impact | We have been involved in several collaborative research projects, with several papers already published and other in preparation. |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Collaboration with Understanding Society cohort |
Organisation | University of Essex |
Department | Institute for Social and Economic Research, Essex |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We have worked with Professor Kumari and Professor Schalkwyk to generate an extensive DNA methylation resource in the Understanding Society cohort. This resource is available to other researchers and is being used in many ongoing projects. |
Collaborator Contribution | They provided us with DNA samples for profiling from ~4500 individuals. This represents one of the largest DNA methylation resources available. |
Impact | 1/ a DNA methylation data resource that is being used by groups across the world 2/ multiple publications coauthored by us and other groups |
Start Year | 2019 |
Description | Collaboration with Understanding Society cohort |
Organisation | University of Essex |
Department | Institute for Social and Economic Research, Essex |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We have worked with Professor Kumari and Professor Schalkwyk to generate an extensive DNA methylation resource in the Understanding Society cohort. This resource is available to other researchers and is being used in many ongoing projects. |
Collaborator Contribution | They provided us with DNA samples for profiling from ~4500 individuals. This represents one of the largest DNA methylation resources available. |
Impact | 1/ a DNA methylation data resource that is being used by groups across the world 2/ multiple publications coauthored by us and other groups |
Start Year | 2019 |
Description | Epigenetics in UK Biobank |
Organisation | UK Biobank |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | We are leading a consortium effort to raise funds to generate DNA methylation data in the UK Biobank cohort |
Collaborator Contribution | UK Biobank have provided networking opportunities with potential funders (commercial and non-commercial) |
Impact | I presented at the UK Bioabank annual conference in London and will be speaking at a fund-raising event in California in March 2024. |
Start Year | 2023 |
Description | Functional Genomics workgroup in the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium |
Organisation | University of Cambridge |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We are leading a sub-group on alternative splicing and epigenetics. This will establish an international collaborative research program. |
Collaborator Contribution | Providing data and analysis plans. |
Impact | We have established a new functional genomics working group within the PGC. I am on the management committee and leading a sub-group on alternative splicing. |
Start Year | 2023 |
Description | Functional Genomics workgroup in the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium |
Organisation | University of Edinburgh |
Department | Edinburgh Genomics |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We are leading a sub-group on alternative splicing and epigenetics. This will establish an international collaborative research program. |
Collaborator Contribution | Providing data and analysis plans. |
Impact | We have established a new functional genomics working group within the PGC. I am on the management committee and leading a sub-group on alternative splicing. |
Start Year | 2023 |
Description | GW4 Epigenetics Network |
Organisation | University of Bristol |
Department | MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | As part of the GW4 partnership (between Universities of Exeter, Bristol, Cardiff and Bath) we were funded to establish a network of researchers focussed on epigenetic studies in mental illness. |
Collaborator Contribution | We participated in a two-day workshop, that has spawned several collaborative projects |
Impact | We have agreed to share resources and expertise. Several collaborative research projects related to the goals of our MRC award have been established. |
Start Year | 2014 |
Description | Genetics of DNA Methylation Consortium (GoDMC) |
Organisation | King's College London |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | This is a collaborative consortium that is aiming to identify genetic influences on DNA methylation. |
Collaborator Contribution | Data sharing and collaborative analyses |
Impact | We are undertaking a large, collaborative meta-analysis. Data will be written-up as a publication in the next year. |
Start Year | 2014 |
Description | Genetics of DNA Methylation Consortium (GoDMC) |
Organisation | University of Bristol |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | This is a collaborative consortium that is aiming to identify genetic influences on DNA methylation. |
Collaborator Contribution | Data sharing and collaborative analyses |
Impact | We are undertaking a large, collaborative meta-analysis. Data will be written-up as a publication in the next year. |
Start Year | 2014 |
Description | Swedish equivalent |
Organisation | Karolinska University Hospital |
Country | Sweden |
Sector | Hospitals |
PI Contribution | Data from our study has been compared with theirs |
Collaborator Contribution | data |
Impact | None yet |
Start Year | 2012 |
Description | 2018 Paul Janssen Lecture at IoPPN |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | The Paul Janssen Lecture has been a regular feature of the academic calendar at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience for nearly 20 years. Lecturers are chosen on the basis of their global eminence in the field of neuroscience with a focus on schizophrenia. The annual lecture is named in honour of Belgian pharmacologist Paul Janssen (1926-2003) noted for discovering various drugs important to psychiatry, such as haloperidol, and who founded Janssen - the pharmaceutical company which sponsors the event. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://www.kcl.ac.uk/ioppn/news/special-events/paul-janssen-lecture |
Description | Brain Awareness Week Public Lecture |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | As part of the inaugural Exeter Brain Awareness Week, I gave a public (lay) presentation on our research into genomics of schizophrenia. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | http://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/events/details/index.php?event=8040 |
Description | Brain Awareness Week, Public Engagement Seminar: 13th - 19th March 2019 Title: Schizophrenia: Examining the light switches of our DNA |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | As part of the Brain Awareness Week activities in Exeter, we presented an overview of our ongoing work into the genomics of schizophrenia. This even was targeted at a lay audience and stimulated considerable interest. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.brainawareness.org/ |
Description | Brain Prize meeting - Lundbeck Foundation |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | I was invited to give a presentation at the Brain Prize meeting arranged by the Lundbeck Foubdation. I gave an overview of our work into the genomics of brain disorders. I have been subsequently approached by several groups with requests for data and collaboration. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://lundbeckfonden.com/en/the-brain-prize |
Description | British Society for Research on Aging Meeing - Keynote Lecture |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Professor Mill presented latest findings from brain genomics studies in context of ageing. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | http://bsra.org.uk/bsra-2017-university-exeter/ |
Description | Celebrating Diversity in Science Virtual Conference - Oral Presentation: Heterogeneity in purified neural populations: implications for post-mortem genomic studies. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | One of our team members gave a presentation at the Celebrating Diversity in Science Virtual Conference. This had a large impact, not only focused on scientific results but also discussing diversity in science. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.facebook.com/events/d41d8cd9/celebrating-diversity-in-science-virtual-conference/1922678... |
Description | College student visit |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | We hosted a college student thinking about applying for medicine at the RILD building. I demonstrated examples of medical research and organised a tour/chats with RILD colleagues. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
Description | Coverage of schizophrenia epigenetics study |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Interview with Epigenie - an epigenetics news website. They ran a news feature on our recent Genome Biology article that resulted from our MRC grant. Increased awareness of our research, and contact by other scientists working on epigenetic dysfunction in schizophrenia. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | |
URL | http://epigenie.com/developmental-origin-of-schizophrenia-associated-dna-methylation/ |
Description | Epigenetic dynamics of Human Brain Development. Invited Oral presentation. Birkbeck College, 3rd July. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Departmental presentation -- stimulated much interest and debate. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
Description | Epigenetics Workshop at NIMHANS, Bangalore |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | We organised a training workshop at the National Institute of neuroscience and mental Health in Bangalore. We provided training to local researchers and psychiatrists into genetics, genomics and epigenetics. Were hope to work with teams in India to instigate a program of cross-national psychiatric epigenetics research. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Epigenomic and transcriptomic signatures of a Klinefelter syndrome (47,XXY) karyotype in the brain. Oral presentation as an invited speaker at the 2nd International Workshop on Klinefelter Syndrome. Münster, Germany. 10th - 12th March 2016. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | We were invited to present out genomic work on XXY brain at an international meeting. We have instigated a collaboration based on interactions at this meeting. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Epigenomics of Common Diseases Meeting - Wellcome Trust 2017 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Our group presented a series of posters and talks on data generated by our MRC funding. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | https://coursesandconferences.wellcomegenomecampus.org/events/item.aspx?e=638 |
Description | Feature article on our research in British Neuroscience Association (BNA) Newsletter |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | The BNA interviewed me, and wrote a feature article on our work. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
URL | https://www.bna.org.uk/publications/bna-bulletin/ |
Description | Functional characterisation of GWAS loci using epigenetic editing - Oral Presentation at Wellcome Trust Epigenomics of Common Disease Meeting |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | We presented our work on epigenetic editing of schizophrenia candidate genes nominated from our MRC-funded project. The talk instigated considerable debate and interest from novel collaborators. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://coursesandconferences.wellcomegenomecampus.org/register/conferences/form1.aspx?e=771 |
Description | International Molecular Pathology Symposium - Edinburgh |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Professor Mill gave an invited talk at the 2017 International Molecular Pathology Symposium. He discussed current advances in using genomics in molecular pathology. There was considerable discussion following the even and several new collaborations established. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | https://www.ed.ac.uk/centre-genomic-medicine/news-events/news-2017/international-molecular-pathology... |
Description | Interview with New Scientist |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | I have been interviewed for a forthcoming piece on epigenetics in disease. The journalist is currently writing an article. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
Description | Invited Lecture - Astex Pharmaceuticals. Global Lecture Series |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Invited to give an update of our research to a wide audience online. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://astx.com/ |
Description | Invited Lecture - Radboud University, Nijmegen |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Professor Mill was invited to give a lecture at Radboud University in Nijmegen, The Netherlands; hosted by Barbara Franke. He presented an overview of our work on epigenetic analyses of mental health including schizophrenia. He also gave an overview of novel genomic sequencing technologies. The lecture sparked considerable discussion and several new potential collaborations. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | http://www.ru.nl/english/people/franke-b/ |
Description | Invited presentations at Birkbeck, KCL, Oxford, Exeter Uni, Bristol Uni |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | I have given invited seminars presenting work from this project at several Universities. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015,2016 |
Description | Invited seminar - Roche Pharmaceuticals, pRED, Neurosciences & Rare Disease. Invited Seminar |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Online virtual seminar to the pRED department at Roche. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Invited seminar at Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | I gave an invited seminar to researchers at the University of Oxford Departmenty of Psychiatry. I presented an overview of our work on the genomics of schizophrenia and dementia. Following this seminar I visited the department in person, met with several researchers and discussed novel collaborations. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.psych.ox.ac.uk/ |
Description | Invited seminar at Roche Pharma |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | I gave an invited seminar on genomics to the neuroscience genomics group at Roche. I presented an overview of our work and how this might inform drug discovery in the future. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.roche.com/ |
Description | Invited seminar at the UCL Dementia Research Institute |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | I gave an invited seminar to the UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL where I presented our research into the genomic basis of dementia and schizophrenia. As a result of this seminar, I have established several novel collaborations and disseminated information about our data resources to the wider community. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.ucl.ac.uk/uk-dementia-research-institute/ |
Description | Invited seminar for the Imperial College London Dementia Research Institute |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | I gave an invited seminar to the UK Dementia Research Institute where I presented our research into the genomic basis of dementia and schizophrenia. As a result of this seminar, I have established several novel collaborations and disseminated information about our data resources to the wider community. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.imperial.ac.uk/dementia-research-institute/seminars--events/2019-20-seminars/ |
Description | Invited speaker at the "Epigenetics in the Nervous System" meeting in Stockholm |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | I gave an invited presentation at this international meeting sponsored by Abcam. There was considerable discussion and interest in our work, and several new collaborative opportunities arising from this are being explored. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | http://docs.abcam.com/pdf/events/stockholm-2018-program.pdf |
Description | Invited speaker at the 2018 International Human Epigenome Consortium (IHEC) meeting in Hong Kong |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | I was an invited speaker at the 2018 IHEC meeting which brings together researchers from around the world working on epigenomics. I presented our ongoing work to leaders in the field and established new collaborations with other international groups. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | http://ihec-epigenomes.org/news-events/hong-kong-2018/ |
Description | Invited speaker at the virtual event Epigenetics - The Full Picture from Illumina International. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Invited presentation on our epigenomics work for Illumina seminar series |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Invited talk - Genome Institute of Singapore |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Professor Mill gave a presentation and established new collaborations at GIS and other institutions in Singapore. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | http://www.gis.a-star.edu.sg |
Description | Invited talk - MQ Annual Science Meeting |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Professor Mill was an invited speaker at the 2017 MQ Annual Science meeting where he presented data resulting from our epigenomic analyses of schizophrenia. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | https://www.mqmentalhealth.org/articles/more-information-mental-health-science-meeting-2017 |
Description | Invited talk at EMBO Epigenetics of Neural (dys)function meeting in Braga, Portugal |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Increased interest in our research, including approaches by potential PhD students. Possible student exchanges arranged. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
URL | http://events.embo.org/14-epigenetics/ |
Description | Invited talk at the "Epigenomics 2016" meeting in Puerto Rico |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | The National Institutes of Health invited myself and two team members to Puerto Rico to speak at a large international Epigenomics meeting where I presented our schizophrenia research. There was considerable interest and several new collaborations have arisen from this meeting. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
URL | http://epigenomics2016.org |
Description | MRC Expert Group Meeting on Human Brain Research |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | We discussed optimal approaches for using human brain tissue in research |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | Multiple presentations and posters at the World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics in Glasgow |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Our group had several presentations at the 2018 WCPG meeting, disseminating results from our work into the genomics of schizophrenia. There was considerable interest in our data and we interacted with collaborators on the projects. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://wcpg2018.org |
Description | Multiple presentations at World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | We presented multiple findings at the World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics, including talks on microRNAs in schizophrenia, epigenetic analyses in schizophrenia, and novel methods for profiling purified nuclei populations. Our work reached an international audience and several collaborations on future projects. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://ispg.net/wcpg-2020/ |
Description | Multiple presentations at the Wellcome Trust Epigenomics of Common Diseases meeting |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | We presented our data in multiple presentations at the 2020 Epigenomics of Common Diseases meeting. This enabled us to disseminate our work to a wide scientific audience and also help foster novel collaborations. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://coursesandconferences.wellcomegenomecampus.org/register/conferences/form1.aspx?e=808 |
Description | Neurogenomics Seminar - Imperial College London |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Members of the team were invited to present our work at the online [international reach] Imperial College London neuogenomics seminar. Several hundred attendees joined the meeting and many questions were asked. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32_R9P_T0sQ |
Description | New Horizon's in Genomics - Queen Mary's University London |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | We presented our work on leveraging Quantitative-Trait Loci to Characterize the Relationship between Methylomic Variation, Gene Expression, and Complex Traits. We provided a discussion of the methods used in our MRC-funded study of schizophrenia. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.evensi.uk/qmul-horizons-genomics-genome-sequencing-analysis-garrod-building-barts-london... |
Description | Oral presentation at Wellcome Trust Epigenomics of Common Diseases meeting - Pleiotropic effects of trait-associated genetic variation on DNA methylation: Utility for refining GWAS loci |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | We presented our work on fine-mapping schizophrenia risk loci using epigenetic annotations. The talked sparked questions and considerable positive feedback on our work. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://coursesandconferences.wellcomegenomecampus.org/register/conferences/form1.aspx?e=771 |
Description | Oral presentation at the Wellcome Trust Genomics of Brain Disorders Meeting |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Data from our schizophrenia was presented in a platform session. It stimulated positive feedback and additional discussion. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
URL | http://conf.hinxton.wellcome.ac.uk/advancedcourses/Genomics_of_Brain_Disorders_draft_programmeV11web... |
Description | Presentation at UK Biobank annual conference |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | I gave a presentation on the promise of profiling DNA methylation in UK biobank. As a result of this we have established an academic consortium to pursue funding to achieve this goal. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwj_rMDC8-uEA... |
Description | Presentation at World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | I gave a presentation about our work on alternative splicing in the developing brain and schizophrenia at the WCPG meeting in Montreal, Canada in October 2023. I had several requests for more information and collaboration. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://ispg.net/events/wcpg-2023-invitation-to-attend/ |
Description | Presentation at the Wellcome Trust Epigenomics of Common Diseases meeting |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | My talk stimulated considerable discussion and interest. We established a collaboration with a group who will work to replicate our findings. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
URL | https://registration.hinxton.wellcome.ac.uk/display_info.asp?id=441 |
Description | Presentation at the World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics (Copenhagen, October 2014) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | My presentation was selected as a plenary oral presentation and resulted in positive feedback. We are following-up potential new collaborations. Talk was discussed in social media (twitter), and we have received requests for further information on our study. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | |
URL | http://2014.ispg.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/WCPG-Oral-Presentation-Abstracts-FINAL.pdf |
Description | Presentations at the Wellcome Trust Genomics of Brain Disorders Meeting, Cambridge |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | We had a series of presentations - oral talks and posters - presented on our work at this international meeting on the genomics of brain disorders. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://coursesandconferences.wellcomegenomecampus.org/our-events/genomics-of-brain-disorders-2018/ |
Description | Presentations at the World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics, Florence, Italy. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | We gave multiple presentations at the 2022 WCPG meeting in Florence, showcasing the results of our research projects. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.emedevents.com/c/medical-conferences-2022/world-congress-of-psychiatric-genetics-wcpg-20... |
Description | Seminar at OHSU in Portland, USA |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | I was invited to give a seminar at OHSU in Portland where I discussed our work to medics and researchers. I discussed ongoing research into psychiatric epigenetics and established several new collaborations. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Symposium at 13th World Congress of Biological Psychiatry, Copenhagen |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Professor Mill was co-chair and a presenter at the ISBP meeting. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | http://www.wfsbp-congress.org/former-congresses/highlights2017.html |
Description | Talk at the Festival of Genomics |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | I gave a presentation on the use of long-read RNA sequencing for characterising transcript variation in the human brain. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
URL | https://festivalofgenomics.com/london/en/page/home |
Description | Three posters at World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics, Toronto |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Work resulting from this grant was presented both in poster format and orally (see other entry) at the WCPG meeting. There was considerable interest in our findings amongst the international research attendees. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | http://2015.ispg.net/ |
Description | Tools for the next generation of EWAS - presentation at the Wellcome Trust Epigenomics of Common Diseases meeting |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | We presented a suite of innovative and data-driven tools focussed on quality controlling DNA methylation microarray data. These tools are designed to test for common problems such as inefficient bisulfite conversion, sample outliers, probe outliers, gradients within individual slides and variation introduced through (possibly unsuitable) normalisation (normalisation violence). The resource was of general interest to the audience and sparked considerable discussion. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://coursesandconferences.wellcomegenomecampus.org/register/conferences/form1.aspx?e=771 |
Description | Two posters at World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics (Copenhagen, October 2014) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Posters sparked considerable interest in our work on schizophrenia-discordant monozygotic twins, and the integration of epigenetic and genetic information. Via a new collaboration, additional twin-pairs are being recruited into our study. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
URL | http://2014.ispg.net |
Description | Two selected oral presentations at the Wellcome Trust Epigenomics of Common Diseases meeting |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | We had two platforms presenting work from this project at the Wellcome Trust Epigenomics of Common Diseases meeting. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
URL | https://coursesandconferences.wellcomegenomecampus.org/events/item.aspx?e=594 |
Description | UK Pharmacogenetics and Stratified Medicine - Open Meeting - Invited Talk |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Professor Mill gave an invited lecture on how epigenetic epidemiology might inform pharmacokinetic studies. There was considerable interest and many questions. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | http://www.uk-pgx-stratmed.co.uk |
Description | Understanding Society - Epigenetics Data Launch |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Professor Mill gave an introduction to epigenetic epidemiology, discussing examples from our MRC-funded schizophrenia work. The workshop was interactive; there were lots of discussion about use of these data. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | https://www.understandingsociety.ac.uk/events/2017/04/27/understanding-society-epigenetics-data-laun... |
Description | Workshop on Schizophrenia and Related Disorders - Cold Spring Harbor |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | I taught on the Cold Spring Harbor Schizophrenia Workshop as an invited lecturer. This involved small-group teaching to leading postdocs and PhD students selected form around the world. The students were enthused about genomics in schizophrenia and there was very positive feedback. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | http://meetings.cshl.edu/schizophrenia18 |
Description | XXV World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics, Orlando |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | We had multiple presentations at the 2017 WCPG meeting. We networked extensively with collaborators and established several new projects. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | https://wcpg2017.org |