One of the central tenets of biology is that our genetics—our genotype—influences the physical characteristics we manifest—our phenotype. But with more than 25,000 human genes and more than 6,000,000 common genetic variants mapped in our genome, finding associations between our genotype and phenotype is an ongoing challenge. Indeed, genome-wide association studies have found thousands of small effect size genetic variants that are associated with phenotypic traits and disease. The simplest explanation is that genes and genetic variants work together in complex regulatory networks that help define phenotypes and mediate phenotypic transitions. We have found that the networks, and their structure, provide unique insight into how genetic elements interact with each other and the structure of the network has predictive power for identifying critical processes in health and disease and for identifying potential therapeutic targets. Drawing on examples from TCGA, GTEx, and other large datasets, we will explore the ways in which modeling regulatory networks provides insight into functional changes that can drive cancers and other complex diseases and how they are influenced by biological sex and age.

Please note a post-seminar reception for attendees will be held from 15:00 – 16:00 in the Ground Floor Social Area, Department of Statistics