Early Career Award for Andrii Iakovliev at European Human Genetics Conference

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The European Human Genetics Conference (ESHG) held its 57^th annual conference in Berlin, Germany, this year. The conference provides an avenue for human geneticists across the world to share the most recent scientific and technological advancements in genetics.

The Early Career Awards are given to young scientists for outstanding research presented as an oral contribution at the conference. The award includes EUR 600 and free participation at the next ESHG conference.

Andrii is currently a Cross-disciplinary Fellow who joined the institute in October 2023. He was among the 5 winners conferred with the award at the conference for his outstanding presentation on ‘Discovery of core genes for type 1 diabetes via genome-wide aggregation of trans-effects using UK Biobank proteomics study’. Working together with collaborators, Andrii applied an innovative genetic analysis methodology to the UK Biobank's cohort to pinpoint core genes in the immune system, whose dysregulation influences the onset of type 1 diabetes. This study not only sheds the light on the genetic architecture of the disease but also points to blood measurements, typically called biomarkers, that predict who is at higher risk of developing the disease.

Diverging from earlier research that focused on the immediate genetic vicinity, Andrii’s approach, based on a new genetic theory, reveals that significant insights can be gained by examining the long-range influences of genetic variants located further away on the genome.

I am delighted about this award in that it serves as evidence that the methodology we developed together with Paul McKeigue and Athina Spiliopoulou a year ago is beginning to gain recognition and acceptance, even though it challenges some traditional analytical approaches in population genetics.

Andrii Iakovliev

Link

• https://www.eshg.org/about-the-eshg/awards/early-career-award-winners
• Cross-disciplinary Fellows website