Polygenic risk scores – The Truth in our Genes

Polygenic risk scores (PRS), put simply, look at gene variants
across the human genome in order to determine an individual's risk
of getting a disease, from different types of cancer to type II
diabetes. PRS could complement current risk prediction models and
lead to a more accurate risk prediction. However, for PRS to become
a useful clinical instrument, transparent ways to assess their
performance and careful communication of disease risks to
individuals are key. In episode 22 of We’re doomed we’re saved,
Andreas Horchler and Louise von Stechow speak to two PRS
researchers, who contributed to the international and
interdisciplinary, EU-funded INTERVENE project. Brooke Wolford, a
Postdoctoral Fellow in the HUNT Center for Molecular and Clinical
Epidemiology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology
and Kristi Läll, a researcher in statistical genetics at Institute
of Genomics, University of Tartu, share their expertise on PRSs and
discuss the potential of PRSs in the clinic and pinpoint strategies
for addressing biases in PRS. Learn more about IINTERVENE here:
INTERVENE is coordinated by the Institute for Molecular Medicine
Finland at the University of Helsinki. The project includes 17
research and other organizations from 10 countries. Learn more
about INTERVENE here: https://www.interveneproject.eu/ You can read
more about Brooke at https://bnwolford.github.io/ Also check out
recent publications here:
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.11.20.23298215v1
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.06.12.23291186v1
Content and Editing: Louise von Stechow and Andreas Horchler
Disclaimer: Louise von Stechow & Andreas Horchler and their
guests express their personal opinions, which are founded on
research on the respective topics, but do not claim to give
medical, investment or even life advice in the podcast. Learn more
about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact
us here: scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/
Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/ Keynotes:
https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow Image: Acton
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