Thomas W. Soare

A Scalable Framework for Identifying Allelic Series from Summary Statistics

The paper introduces COAST-SS, a method to identify allelic series using summary statistics, showing it is effective and robust to LD matrix misspecification.

Loss of CFHR5 function reduces the risk for age-related macular degeneration

The paper identifies CFHR5 variants that reduce AMD risk by lowering FHR-5 levels and altering complement pathway activity.

Pitfalls in performing genome-wide association studies on ratio traits

This paper shows that genome-wide association studies on ratio traits can be misleading, as associations may be driven by the denominator rather than the numerator, and proposes a method to correct for collider bias.

Causal considerations can determine the utility of machine learning assisted GWAS

This study shows that machine learning-derived phenotypes for GWAS can lead to false discoveries depending on their causal relationship with the target phenotype and environment.

An allelic series rare variant association test for candidate gene discovery

The paper introduces COAST, a rare variant association test for allelic series, which improves power over SKAT-O in detecting gene-trait associations in lipid and cell count traits using UK Biobank data.

A translational kidney organoid system bolsters human relevance of clinical development candidate

The paper develops a high-throughput human kidney organoid platform for drug screening, validated by scRNA-Seq and showing protective effects of CsA and GFB-887 against kidney injury.

Sensitive periods for the effect of childhood adversity on DNA methylation: Results from a prospective, longitudinal study

This study identifies 40 CpG sites with differential methylation at age 7 linked to adversity exposure timing, showing infancy as a sensitive period for DNAm changes.

Predicting cellular aging following exposure to adversity: Does accumulation, recency, or developmental timing of exposure matter?

The paper examines how childhood adversity exposure affects epigenetic aging using DNA methylation clocks in children, finding that timing and type of adversity exposure significantly influence biological age.