16 May 2022 : Tools for Sociogenetics : Application for contemporary and ancient DNA?

Prof. Martin Fieder will demonstrate bioinformatic tools for “modern humans” focusing on Polygenic Scores and “Runs of Homozygosity” for the detection of inbreeding. This will also be interesting for archaeological genomic data. The workshop will run on the 16th May 2022 from 10:30 to 14:30.

The aim of the workshop is to demonstrate tools of quantitative genetics from a highly applied perspective for the non-specialist. This demonstration includes particularly polygenic risk scores and their application on present day genomic sequences and their potential use for ancient DNA. The workshop will focus on research questions from behavioural genetics including the genetic basis of human attitudes. Polygenic scores of course can be applied to any trait beyond behavioural traits. Prof. Fieder will show how polygenic risk scores can be used to predict behavioural traits and attitudes on basis of DNA data; how cross prediction may work, hence how to predict a trait for which the genomic basis is still unknown, but the genetic basis for similar traits are known (using genomic pleiotropy). Prof. Fieder will also show how polygenic scores can be used to estimate the heritability of a trait.

There will also be a demonstration of how polygenic scores can be derived from result files of genome wide association studies and how easy it is to integrate polygenic scores in studies, with only the use of standard statistics programs such as SPSS and R – no special software is needed.

A brief and profound introduction for the non-specialist from Melinda Mills and Felix Tropf can be found here

A very good and practical guide also for the non-specialist, again from the team around Mills can be found here

If the time allows it, Prof. Fieder intends to show how genomic homozygosity so called “Runs of Homozygosity – ROH” can be calculated on basis of genome wide SNP data, the application and potential research questions for modern and ancient human population, for instance to estimate inbreeding over generations. For this part of the workshop the standard genomic tool “plink” will be used.

Fees: €20 ( Empoyees of the University of Vienna 50% discount: €10)

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