Laura Marianne Huckins, PhD

Research Areas of Focus:

Transcriptomic Imputation

Transcriptomic Imputation approaches use eQTL reference data to create predictors of gene expression in specific tissues. These models may then be applied to genotype data to calculate predicted genetically regulated gene expression (GREX), and to test for associations between GREX and a trait of interest. These models may also be applied to summary statistics to translate GWAS data into GREX associations.

The Huckins Lab develops and applies these models; in particular, we focus on (1) improvement of statistical methodology underlying model creation; (2) probing spatio-temporal specificity of these models; (3) expansion to multi-omic prediction. We apply these models to psychiatric traits and disorders.

Disorders of Interest

The Huckins Lab focuses on understudied psychiatric disorders. In particular, we are interested in disorders affecting women, children, and vulnerable populations.

Eating Disorders

Eating Disorders are highly complex, dangerous, and understudied neuropsychiatric disorders. EDs have significant heritability (50-80%), in line with other psychiatric disorders, and have the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric disorders. Despite this, ED research receives ~$1 for every $70 spent on other major mental disorders.

EDs affect all genders, races, ethnic groups, and people of all ages. EDs may disproportionately affect members of the LGBTQIA community (16% of transgender college students report having an eating disorder, as do 3.5% of sexual minority women, and 2.1% of sexual minority men) and active duty personnel (~9% of women and ~7.5% of men have or develop an eating disorder during active duty).

The Huckins Lab is dedicated to addressing this dearth of ED research. Dr. Huckins has been involved in ED research since her PhD- including work on the first GWAS for Anorexia Nervosa, the first study of low-frequency variation, and the first study of transcriptomic imputation. Our work focuses on elucidating the tissues and systems involved in EDs, and studying multi-omic involvement, including gene expression, histone modifications, and microbiome involvement.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Following a life-threatening traumatic exposure, about 10% of those exposed are at considerable risk for developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a severe and disabling syndrome characterized by uncontrollable intrusive memories, nightmares, avoidance behaviours, and hyperarousal in addition to impaired cognition and negative emotion symptoms.

The Huckins Lab is interested in understanding the genetic basis of susceptibility/resilience to PTSD following trauma. A key focus of our group is understanding differing genetic aetiologies and risk factors for PTSD according to trauma type, in particular sexual assault.

Our analyses include a range of genetic, genomic, and multi-omic investigations into (1) predicting PTSD trajectory; (2) identifying shared and distinct genetic aetiologies for military and civilian PTSD; (3) identifying biological systems involved in PTSD using multi-omic imputation.