Plant-based dietary patterns and genetic susceptibility to obesity in the CARTaGENE cohort
Researchers explored whether adherence to three plant-based dietary indices (PDIs) mediated or moderated genetic susceptibility to obesity. The study included 7,037 adults from the CARTaGENE cohort. Obesity outcomes were found to be significantly associated with overall- and healthy-PDIs and polygenic risk scores (PRSs). Adherence to PDIs neither mediated nor moderated genetic susceptibility to obesity. Higher levels of meat consumption were positively associated with obesity, while increased levels of whole grain intake were negatively associated with obesity outcomes.
Global Biobank analyses provide lessons for developing polygenic risk scores across diverse cohorts
The researchers assessed the performance of polygenic risk scores (PRSs) in predicting disease risk across diverse global populations using data from the Global Biobank Meta-analysis Initiative (GBMI). They constructed PRSs using two methods: pruning and thresholding (P + T) and PRS-continuous shrinkage (CS). Data from nine biobanks, including the Ontario Health Study, were analyzed for 14 different disease endpoints. Results showed that PRS-CS generally outperformed the P + T method, particularly for diseases with higher SNP-based heritability.
Global Biobank Meta-analysis Initiative: Powering genetic discovery across human disease
The Global Biobank Meta-analysis Initiative is a collaborative network of 23 biobanks, representing more than 2.2M consented participants with genetic data linked to electronic health records. This collaborative effort will improve genome-wide association studies’ power for diseases, benefit understudied diseases, and improve risk prediction.
The National Cancer Institute Cohort Consortium: An International Pooling Collaboration of 58 Cohorts from 20 Countries
The NCI Cohort Consortium was founded in 2001 and brings together 58 cancer epidemiology cohorts from 20 countries to undertake large-scale pooling research. This article outlines the structure, governance, methods of working, and the participating cohorts (including CanPath), publications and activities of the consortium.