ResearchResearchers with the McMaster Population Genomics Program have access to large collections of DNA and finely phenotyped cohorts at the University and Hamilton Health Sciences. This rich database is an excellent resource for studying genetic associations with common complex diseases but will take sophisticated methodological approaches to reliably assess them.

The McMaster Population Genomics Program

The Population Genomics Program (PGP) mobilizes McMaster’s expertise and resources in population health, genomics, clinical trials and health-research methodology to investigate the influences of gene-gene and gene-environment interactions on disease. It fosters interdisciplinary collaborations among clinical researchers and basic scientists to marshal new insights and discoveries in the burgeoning field of population genomics at McMaster.

The PGP applies the disciplines of epidemiology, biostatistics and computational biology to reveal and interpret the complex relationships between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPS) and other DNA sequence patterns in individuals and the expression of common complex diseases including respiratory disease, autism, infectious and immunological diseases, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in populations.

CE&BThe PGP’s home in the Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics brings it a rich tradition of developing innovative biostatistical methodologies that will help spark high-impact breakthroughs in the new frontier of population-genomics research.

Faculty Dr. Sonia Anand, MD PhD FRCPC is the inaugural Director of the McMaster Population Genomics Program. Her research is aimed at understanding the environmental and genetic causes of cardiovascular risk factors among women, First Nations peoples and ethnic groups throughout the world.