Portability of catalogued polygenic risk scores across ancestrally diverse Singaporean populations
Main Applicant – Dr Pierre-Alexis Goy, Scientist, Genome Research Informatics and Data Science Platform, Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS)

In recent years, large-scale Precision Medicine efforts (UK Biobank, Genomics England, AllOfUS, BioBank Japan, …) have helped scientists understand how genetic differences affect health. This has led to the creation of Polygenic Risk Scores (PRS), which combine the effects of many genetic variations to estimate a person’s susceptibility for a specific trait, whether it be disease risk, treatment response, or other factor. However, many PRS are based on studies done with European populations and might not work well for people of other ancestries.

Our project aims to test how well these PRS work for Asian populations using the SG100K dataset, which includes diverse genetic information and detailed health data. By evaluating the effectiveness of existing PRS in this diverse group, we hope to improve their usefulness in clinical settings and public health.

For our research, we will leverage on genetic data, health questionnaires, clinical information, and a catalogue of existing PRS models to help make genetic risk assessments more accurate for everyone, leading to better personalized healthcare.