Dylan Duchen, PhD, MPH

Topic: Multi-omics Analytics and Emerging Technologies

Project Summary: Graph genome-based models can characterize genetic variation across both microbial organisms and diverse regions of the human genome. We aim to investigate whether these models can also be used to characterize the extensive genetic diversity observed within immunogenetic sequencing datasets (e.g., B cell receptor (BCR) repertoire sequencing). We will develop graph-based approaches to 1) analyze high-throughput immunogenetic sequencing (e.g., BCR repertoire profiling) and 2) perform genetic association tests focused phenotypes related to the host immune response to vaccines, infection, therapeutics developed by Boehringer Ingelheim, and autoimmune diseases. We will also assess whether graph structure/topology is clinically informative and, by annotating regions across the graph using external multi-modal data, assess whether annotated genome graphs can facilitate immunogenetic-focused genome-wide association studies.