Upcoming Problems in Precision Medicine and Genomics Sessions
Monday June 2nd, Stephanie McGregor, MD, PhD
Associate Professor (CHS), Vice Chair of Clinical and Translational Research, Director of Translational Science Biocore, UW BioBank
Monday August 4th, Marina Sharifi, MD, PhD
Hematology, Medical Oncology and Palliative Care Assistant Professor
Monday October 6th – Cancelled due to Advancing Precision Medicine Symposium on Tuesday October 7th
Monday December 1st, TBD
The UW-Madison Center for Human Genomics and Precision Medicine (CHGPM) and Center for Genomic Science Innovation (CGSI) are launching a new series to bridge campus clinicians, translational researchers, and basic scientists around specific research challenges in medicine and genomics.
The “Problems in Precision Medicine and Genomics” sessions aim to advance groundbreaking research opportunities while fostering cross-campus connections in an informal discussion-based setting.
Each bi-monthly session will host a 30 minute faculty presentation on a challenge or opportunity in their research, followed by a 30 minute open discussion on possible solutions, relevant methods, or campus resources. A key goal is to bridge campus researchers through stimulating brainstorming sessions that will also advance specific challenges posed by the faculty member.
“These round table sessions are a chance to connect our vibrant community dedicated to advancing genomics, multi-omics, and precision medicine research at UW. I hope these discussions will seed new collaborations and eventually lead to multidisciplinary solutions that address clinical gaps,” says CHGPM Director Muhammed Murtaza.
Sessions might include clinicians looking to connect with basic scientists to test specific hypotheses, researchers interested in forming translational connections, or scientists with new methods or approaches interested in applications.
Faculty can submit requests to present a specific challenge related to their research or clinical practice, focusing on topics that either involve or could be addressed using genomic technologies and computational analysis. Anyone is welcome to attend the sessions. The Centers will also invite relevant audience members from campus who may have particular scientific interest of overlap.
“I think these think-tank discussions will also be a great opportunity for trainees, both to hear about modern challenges in clinical genomics and to be part of discussions to solve them,” says CGSI Director Audrey Gasch.
The Centers envision hosting two discussion rooms, on in CHGPM on the West end of campus and one in CGSI on the East side, connected by video streaming, with in person presentations alternating between locations throughout the series.
Past Seminars
Spring 2025
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April 2025 - Donna Werling, Ph.D, Assistant Professor, Genetics.
Donna Werling, Ph.D, Assistant Professor, Genetics.
“Many brain disorders have sex-biased prevalence. Why is it so challenging to find sex-differential genomic signals in brain?”
Genetic variants contribute to risk for neurodevelopmental disorders, many of which show sex differences in their prevalence or presentation. This suggests a potential role for sex-differential biology in modulating the impact of genetic and other risk factors, such that one sex is sensitized and/or the other is protected from risk. One particularly striking example is autism spectrum disorder (ASD): Males are diagnosed with ASD at least three times more frequently than females, and this skew is one of the most consistent, yet mechanistically unexplained, features of ASD.
The aim of my research is to understand the key neurobiological mechanisms involved in the etiology of ASD and other neurodevelopmental disorders, including genetic and developmental processes, with a focus on the role of sex-differential biology in modulating risk. Genome-scale analyses are especially powerful for unbiased discovery, and so my lab uses genome-wide genetics, functional genomics, and bioinformatics approaches (e.g. RNA-seq, single cell analyses, eQTLs) in human tissue and model systems to identify and characterize the mechanisms involved in sex-differential and disorder-associated neurobiology. The long-term goal of this research program is to uncover fundamental etiological pathways in both sexes that will facilitate treatment development and benefit affected individuals and their families.