Collaboration continues: Global PhD student and postdoctoral researcher visit from Bonn
From 20-24 February, Global PhD student Priyatam Dutta, MSc, and postdoctoral researcher Dr Lisa Sindermann visited St Andrews as part of a joint project with the University of Bonn’s Institute of Human Genetics. This work was initially made possible by a 2020 Collaborative Research Grant (CRG) awarded to Professor of Neurogenetics Silvia Paracchini and Institute of Human Genetics Director Professor Markus M. Nöthen. The project is now supported by a joint Global PhD under the supervision of Prof. Paracchini and Prof. Andreas Forstner (Junior Professor of Brain Genomics, University of Bonn).
Using data from the population-based prospective study UK Biobank, Prof. Paracchini, data scientist Dr Christina Fell, and their colleagues aim to unravel the genetic architecture of childhood neurodevelopmental disorders such as dyslexia and mental disorders such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. In addition, continuing their collaboration with Canon Medical Research Europe in Edinburgh, they aim to use artificial intelligence methods to improve the performance of polygenic risk-scoring methods. This success of this visit highlighted to all involved the importance of facilitating in-person collaboration whenever possible.