Epidemiology Seminar

EPIDEMIOLOGY SEMINAR SERIES - Fall 2015

Brent Richards, PhD

Associate Professor, William Dawson Scholar & FRQS Chercheur Boursier Clinician Scientist, Lady Davis Institute, Jewish General Hospital, McGill University and a Senior Lecturer, King’s College London, UK

Does Vitamin D Insufficiency Influence Common Disease? Results from Mendelian Randomization Studies

ALL ARE WELCOME

SYNOPSIS:

Vitamin D insufficiency has been linked in epidemiological studies to numerous common diseases, including multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, coronary heart disease, several cancers, stroke and osteoporosis. However, vitamin D is a heavily confounded biomarker and is also prone to reverse causation since sick people tend to stay inside more, and as a result, have lower vitamin D levels. We have undertaken large-scale Mendelian randomization studies, which greatly diminish the influence of confounding and reverse causation to test whether vitamin D insufficiency may be involved in the causal pathway for these diseases. We have identified strong influences of genetically lowered vitamin D levels on risk of MS and little to no effect on most other diseases. I will also discuss challenges and opportunities in translating these findings to clinical care.

OBJECTIVES:

1. To understand the design of Mendelian randomization studies
2. To understand the limitations of Mendelian randomization studies
3. To understand the role of vitamin D in common, complex disease

BIO:

Brent Richards is an Associate Professor, William Dawson Scholar and FRQS Chercheur Boursier Clinician Scientist, at the Lady Davis Institute of the Jewish General Hospital, at McGill University and a Senior Lecturer at King’s College London, UK. Trained in genetics, clinical medicine, endocrinology, epidemiology and biostatistics through support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, a Commonwealth Scholarship and Osteoporosis Canada, Dr. Richards focuses on understanding the genetic determinants of common aging-related endocrine diseases, such as osteoporosis and diabetes. He and his colleagues have made important advances by identifying the genes that cause these diseases and actively engages with pharmaceutical companies to translate these findings to improved clinical care. Currently he co-chairs the world’s largest whole-genome sequencing program for common disease and has recently identified a novel and central protein critical to skeletal formation and fracture risk through the studying over half a million research subjects around the world. His work has been recognized through a CIHR Clinician Scientist award, a CIHR Maud Menten award for research excellence in Human Genetics, and a CIHR/Canadian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism Young Investigator Award for excellence in endocrine research.

www.mcgill.ca/epi-biostat-occh/news-events/seminars/epidemiology