The Population Genetics, Ancestry and Bioinformatics Laboratory
Several integrated factors contribute to an individual’s overall health and susceptibility to developing complex diseases, such as asthma and allergic disorders. Dissecting the roles of genetic ancestry, environmental exposures, and socio-economic factors in the development, diagnosis, and treatments of allergic diseases is still needed. A fundamental goal of our lab is to unravel genetic and non-genetic contributions to complex diseases, particularly allergic diseases, in human populations. To achieve this goal, we integrate multi-omics data and develop novel bioinformatics tools that uncover how genetic ancestry and environmental factors contribute to health disparities.
An emerging interest of our lab is understanding how biologic predisposition and socio-environmental exposures interact to shape racial disparities in asthma and other complex disorders. Our current research investigates the complex interplay among environmental exposures, genomics, race, ethnicity, ancestry, multi-omics, and health, with a focus on underrepresented populations. Our lab’s long-term goals are to understand and dissect the role of genetic and gene-modifying causes of asthma, establish and lead a national and international program in Precision Medicine Research, and reduce health disparities in children.
Our research utilizes ancestry analyses and admixture mapping, genome-wide association analyses, RNA-seq analyses, network analyses, multi-omics data integration, bioinformatics, and statistical and functional genomics to dissect how biological predisposition and socio-environmental exposures interact to shape racial disparities in asthma and other complex disorders. Using these approaches, we aim to translate genetic findings into clinical practice, improving diagnosis, treatment strategies and precision medicine particularly for diverse populations. Our work has led to the development of novel research tools, improved diagnostic and treatment strategies for atopic dermatitis, and national and international media coverage.
Global Health Impact
As part of his global outreach, Tesfaye Mersha, PhD, co-founded the Alliance for Research, Innovation and Education (AfRIE, https://afrie.org), an international team of volunteer educators, researchers, and innovators. AfRIE supports universities and research centers in low- and middle-income countries by enhancing standards in education, research, innovation and development capabilities. Through AfRIE, he initiated, led, and established the first Public Health Genomics (PHG) Graduate Program at Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia. These efforts have not only created infrastructure and a genomics workforce but also highlighted the importance of including diverse populations in genomic studies to achieve universal utility in genomics medicine.
