Aaron Welson

• Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)
• MSci Biomedical Sciences

This project employs statistical and computational tools to analyze GWAS data, aiming to identify genetic risk loci contributing to the increasingly prevalent disease: NAFLD. Our goal is to unravel implicated genes and underlying biological mechanisms associated with disease development and progression.

GWA analysis will be performed on various NAFLD-related quantitative phenotypes, including: 

• Steatosis: Liver fat accumulation
• Disease activity: Hepatocellular ballooning and lobular inflammation measurement
• Fibrosis: Assessment of liver tissue scarring
• NAFLD activity score: A composite measure combining the above traits 

This study comprises over 2200 individuals of European descent, making it one of the largest of its kind. 

Results reveal significant associations between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the PNPLA3-SAMM50-PARVB genetic region and NAFLD progression. Specifically, SNPs linked to steatosis, fibrosis, and NAFLD activity score were detected, although no strong association with disease activity was observed.

Funded by: Newcastle University Research Scholarship

Project Supervisor: Professor Heather Cordell