Program Overview

PhD - Medical Science (SS 2023)

Introduction

The PhD program in Medical Science at the Medical University of Innsbruck offers a comprehensive education in genetic risk assessment for complex diseases.

Lecturer

• Claudia Lamina, PhD
• Lukas Forer, PhD

Content

Date

The program will take place in the week between 12th and 16th of June, with 3-4 hours of instruction per day. The computer room is already booked between 10-15, but times are not fixed yet and can be coordinated together with the students.

Topics

The program will introduce students to genetic association studies and their interpretation. Covered topics include:

• Different genetic variants (SNPs, tandem repeats, Copy number variation)
• Linkage Disequilibrium
• What is genetic association and genetic risk in complex diseases
• How can a genome-wide study be interpreted
• Genetic risk scores: How reliable can risk of getting e.g. diabetes or stroke be predicted from genetic data?
• Ancestry estimation and the role of ancestry in genetic studies
• "I work on gene XYZ in mice. How can I find evidence from human studies?"
• Genetics as an instrument to conclude on causality: Does increased LDL cholesterol really cause Myocardial infarctions? Does obesity increase diabetes risk or could it also be the other way round?