Keyue Ding

The long-term goal in this group's work is to investigate genetic basis for coronary heart disease and its intermedial traits (e.g., lipid levels) in diverse populations. The researchers have used the principle of population genetics to study the difference of risk alleles among multiple ancestral populations. This project aims to:

• Characterize global ancestry in hundreds of thousands individuals with millions of markers from bio-bank scale cohorts, including eMERGE, MESA, and WHI
• Infer local ancestry for admixed individuals (e.g., Latinos) identified from aim 1
• Identify signatures of natural selection in Latinos

The study will have important implications for local ancestry mapping for Native American specific loci associated with coronary heart diseases and intermediate traits.