Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC)
With 1700+ international scientists & 900,000 participants, the PGC is the largest biological investigation in the history of psychiatry 🧬
- Reposted by Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC)Out earlier this week in @natgenet.nature.com: GWAS of major anxiety disorders in 122,341 European-ancestry cases identifying 58 loci (www.nature.com/articles/s41...) Awesome work, and great news for the anx genetics community — each @pgcgenetics.bsky.social paper seeds 100s more papers!
- Reposted by Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC)The new year has brought mixed tidings to our community. Today we mourn the loss of one of our brightest and leading lights. PGC Africa is deeply saddened by the untimely passing of Dr Itunuoluwa “Itunu” Isewon, Senior Lecturer and pioneering bioinformatics researcher. 1/5
- We are deeply saddened by the passing of Professor Dan Stein, an internationally respected leader in psychiatry and neuroscience, and chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health at @UCT_news.
- His scholarship, mentorship, and humanity shaped mental health research in South Africa and globally. Our condolences to his family, colleagues, and students. www.news.uct.ac.za/article/-202...
- ❗Join us to discuss: ‘Scientifically accurate and ethically responsible science communication in psychiatric genetics’ on 14th Jan ! Organised by the PGC Outreach Committee, BGA Public Science Committee @behaviorgenetic.bsky.social, and @ibangs.bsky.social Register: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
- 🌟It has been great to learn the full breadth of @pgc_fg #genes #cells #omics #mentalhealth and the bright 🧠👨🎓 behind the work ! The second year has been a wonderful experience and get's us excited for the next 🍾🥂🎉
- Looking forward to meeting in-person again at #WCPG2026 in Glasgow, Scotland! 🏴 #functionalgenomics #mentalhealth
- 👩🔬👨🔬in October, we @fg-pgc.bsky.social had our in-person meeting at #WCPG2025 in Cancun, Mexico ! We loved strategizing about how we can make #functionalgenomics #tools and #datasets in #mentalhealth useful for all, to understand the biology of genetic risk ! 🧬🧠
- 🌟for our last portrait, @fg-pgc.bsky.social is back in Germany @unibonn.bsky.social, where Dr EVA BEINS @evabeins.bsky.social studies #genetics and #microglia in #depression & #bipolardisorder. Think #brain #immune cells and #mentalhealth 🧠🧬👨🎓
- 🌟... #functionalgenomics @fg-pgc.bsky.social travels from Germany to Toronto, Canada, @utoronto.ca where Dr PAVEL POWLOWSKI recently obtained his PhD👨🎓and studies #genes #endocannabinoids and human cells in a dish #iPSCs in #bipolardisorder. 🧬🧠
- 🧠... our next young #functionalgenomics brain is Dr FATIMA MOHAMEDELMUGADAM from @unibonn.bsky.social in Germany🌟 She is interested in how genetic variants in different populations of the world contribute to #autism and #ADHD in kids👨👩👧👧
- 🌟Today @fg-pgc.bsky.social and @pgcgenetics.bsky.social are in Bengaluru, India, where we love to highlight Dr KALYANI BINDU's work and the dynamic #functionalgenomics scene 🧬🧠 She shows that many of the same biological mechanisms play a role in different #mentalhealth disorders ! One drug for all?
- 🌟...let's meet the next #earlycareerresearcher #ECR #postdoc with a big heart for functional genomics 🧬 🥁 ... Dr RICARDO DE PAOLI-ISEPPI from @unimelb.bsky.social #UniMelb will tell us how he uses #longreadsequencing to understand #RNAsplicing.
- 🥁🎇✨ ... first up is KIRA HÖFFLER @kirahoeffler.bsky.social from the #UniversityofBergen in Norway and #McLeanHospital in Boston ! So tell us, Kira, what do you do in #functionalgenomics and @pgc_fg ?🤔 Any #funfacts #genetics 🐝❓ 🧵3/3
- @pgc_fg and @PGCgenetics our work is global 🌎🌍🌏 so no surprise that our #brains #earlycareerresearchers #phd_students #postdocs hail from all corners of the world ! So get ready ✨🤓 🧵2/3
- ✨Now that we have heard what our project groups have been up to, let's meet some of the brains doing the work !🧠👩🎓⭐️ We'll give the #earlycareerresearchers #ecr #phd #postdoc the stage. They actually do the work that the #prinicpalinvestigator #PI get to talk about ! 😉 🧵1/3
- Our last, but by NO means least, group is the ✨Single Cell Transcriptomics✨group! Our two awesome chairs lead this group, with @hjerling-leffler.bsky.social focusing on brain🧠, and @maryellenlynall.bsky.social on immune🦠 🧵1/2
- Genes🧬are expressed differently in different cell types This is really important for brain function🧠, which is one of the most complex organs in the human body🧍🏾 Single cell sequencing is a super cool way of exploring this! 🧵2/2
- Our fourth group is the ✨Multi-level Quantitative Trait Loci✨group! 🧬AKA themQTL group🧬 🔎QTL analysis is a way to understand how genetic sequences🧬affect gene expression... 🧐Think RNA transcripts and proteins! All these methods to understand genetics🤩
- Next up is the awesome✨Methylation-wide association studies✨group! AKA the MWAS group😉 #Epigenetics are changes that happen to DNA expression🧬without actually changing the sequence! Instead, these changes happen to molecules that are attached to the DNA - how cool 🤯!
- The second of our 5 project groups we are thrilled to introduce is the✨Isoforms✨group! Isoforms are different versions of RNA transcripts or proteins🧬 They are a result of splicing✂️during gene expression and are an important part of how one gene can act in different ways!
- The @fg-pgc.bsky.social is all about understanding how our genetic findings🔬translate into psychiatric conditions 🧠 We have 5 project groups, and we are excited to introduce the✨Functional Validation✨group first! We asked them for a status update and a highlight of the year...
- So, who are the the Functional Genomics Working Group? 🎯Our goal is to understand how genes🧬, cells🦠and molecules💠contribute to psychiatric disorders🧠 We work with other PGC groups and different 'omics data (methylation, cytometry, single cell etc.) to do this🧪 🧵1/3
- We have two awesome chairs ✨@hjerling-leffler.bsky.social and @maryellenlynall.bsky.social✨, who started the group in February 2024! We also have 5 project groups, 🔬exploring different ways of understanding #FunctionalGenomics in psychiatric disorders🧠 🧵2/3
- Ultimately, we: 🌟drive inclusive and diverse 'omics' mental health research, 🌟and foster a collective effort that transcends individual capabilities for global science🌎! 🧵3/3
- Before we get started, let’s introduce our two Social Media Reps - @natashaberthold.bsky.social and @evacschulte.bsky.social! We're here for the #functionalgenomics🧬, and #Science #Communication📡is a🔑key part! 💫Check out their profiles💫
- ✨Welcome to the Functional Genomics Takeover of the PGC main account!✨ For the next 2 weeks @natashaberthold.bsky.social and @evacschulte.bsky.social will be taking you through the achievements and highlights of year 2 in the @fg-pgc.bsky.social. So sit forward, get excited, and celebrate with us!
- Congratulations to Dr. Wouter Peyrot, recipient of the 2025 Pamela Sklar Award at #WCPG2025! His innovative work continues to advance the field of psychiatric genomics. 🧬👏
- Reposted by Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC)🚨New preprint from PGC SUI!! @pgcgenetics.bsky.social GWAS meta-analyses of suicidal ideation, attempt, death, and behavior across >50 cohorts identify 77 loci (59 novel), implicate subcortical brain regions, and show suicidality phenotypes are genetically distinct. www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
- Reposted by Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC)Some recent work led by @peterjonghona.bsky.social and myself at @yaleschoolofmed.bsky.social looks at environmental, psychiatric, and genetic predictors of alcohol use disorder. Online today at The American Journal of Psychiatry (@apapsychiatric.bsky.social): psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/...
- People with schizophrenia are underrepresented in volunteer-based biobanks. A new UK Biobank study shows that those who do participate tend to have milder symptoms, lower polygenic risk scores, lower rates of copy-number variants, and higher levels of education and employment.
- A new preprint reports the largest genetic study of schizophrenia in people of African ancestry, identifying 3 genetic signals unique to this group using data from the Million Veteran Program (MVP) and the All of Us Research Program: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39252912/
- Schizophrenia is often misunderstood and highly complex. Learn about its prevalence and health impact in the WHO Fact Sheet 💡: www.who.int/news-room/fa...
- 1/ 🧵 For 10+ years, the Schizophrenia Working Group of the PGC has been dedicated to understanding the genetic risk factors for schizophrenia.
- 2/ In 2022, we published our largest study yet, a global effort that analyzed DNA from 76,755 individuals affected by schizophrenia. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
- 3/ The study identified 287 regions in the genome associated with schizophrenia, and follow-up analyses highlighted 120 likely involved genes.
- 4/ Want to help advance schizophrenia research? 🔬You can contribute by sharing data to the newest meta-analysis via our Data Receiving Committee! pgc.unc.edu/about-us/joi...
- Hi from the PGC Schizophrenia working group! During the next 2 weeks, we will be posting about schizophrenia genetics and related topics. Stay tuned!
- Reposted by Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC)Today is #WorldSuicidePreventionDay. Worried someone might be struggling with suicidal thoughts? Your presence can be powerful. A simple check-in could be the lifeline they need. 💙 Learn more about #SuicidePrevention 👉 bit.ly/4phPYKi
- Reposted by Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC)Latin America has experienced an increase in suicide rate, contrasting with a global decline. We review possible reasons for this here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... Led by Dr. Brenda Cabrera-Mendoza and @renatopolimanti.bsky.social, 1st publication from the LAGC Suicide Working Group.
- Reposted by Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC)On 10 September, the world comes together for #WorldSuicidePreventionDay under the theme, Changing the Narrative on Suicide. This year, we’re making resources more accessible than ever - translated into more languages, to reach more communities worldwide. bit.ly/469incZ
- Brenda Cabrera-Mendoza, postdoctoral associate at Yale Psychiatry, has been awarded a MQ US Fellow grant from MQ Mental Health Research. Her project will integrate genetic and clinical data to improve suicide risk stratification.
- Over the next couple of tweets, we will highlight some of the funded research projects in the PGC SUI Workgroup, which are working toward understanding the genetics of suicide. #PGCSUI #suicidegenetics
- 📢 For the next two weeks, the Suicide Working Group is taking over this space. September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month — a time to break stigma, share resources, and highlight research and action that can save lives. #SuicidePrevention #SuicideAwarenessMonth
- Reposted by Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC)Excited to share that our manuscript describing a multi-ancestry GWAS of nicotine dependence has now been published: doi.org/10.1017/S003...
- Reposted by Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC)"A contextual genomic perspective on physical activity and its relationship to health, well being and illness" led by Marco Galimberti at @yaleschoolofmed.bsky.social and US Dept. of Veterans Affairs is now online at Nature Genetics (@natureportfolio.nature.com) Link: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
- Attending the 2025 @behaviorgenetic.bsky.social Meeting in Atlanta? Be sure to check out some exciting work from members of the PGC-SUD working group:
- Attending the @rsaofficial.bsky.social meeting in New Orleans? Be sure to check out some exciting work from members of the PGC-SUD working group:
- New preprint alert 📢: First genome-wide significant loci identified for panic attacks and panic disorder
- Excited about our new preprint: 1st successful genome-wide study of >61,000 panic attack and 29,000 panic disorder cases. www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1... We find 17 associations & evidence that peripheral neurons in eye, lungs and heart are involved in panic & other psychiatric disorders 1/n
- (1/9) 📣 OUT NOW! 📣 So excited to share that our systematic review and meta-analysis on the autism polygenic score is now published in JAACAP Open @jaacapjournals.bsky.social. doi.org/10.1016/j.ja... A (long) thread of our main findings ⤵️
- That’s a wrap for the #MDD & #Anxiety takeover, thanks for joining us! Special thank you to Outreach Committee Liaisons @karmelchoi.bsky.social (MDD) & @abiterkuile.bsky.social (Anxiety) and all post contributors.
- (1/2) GWAS studies of anxiety and depression often include cases who have both, making it hard to tease apart genetic influences. Tesfaye et al. recently showed how unaccounted comorbidity contributes to high genetic overlap in genome-wide studies. www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
- (2/2) Genetic correlations between anxiety and depression were reduced (from .90 to .53) when non-shared genetics of depression and anxiety were separately analyzed. Prevalent comorbidities may contribute to the genetic overlaps observed across conditions. www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
- AMBER is a collaborative effort to identify the determinants of antidepressant response, by integrating genomic/cellular data, EHRs, and patient perspectives. Check out this project and reach out to PI @cathrynlewis.bsky.social to learn more or collaborate! www.kcl.ac.uk/research/amb...
