Gene-Environment Interactions - A Genome-Wide Perspective (2025)

Explore gene-environment interactions from a genome-wide perspective in this 51-minute lecture delivered by Kenny Westerman from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School as part of the Medical and Population Genetics Primer series at the Broad Institute. Learn how genetic variants interact with environmental factors to influence human traits and diseases through comprehensive analysis of large-scale genomic data. Discover the statistical methods and analytical approaches used to identify and characterize these interactions across the entire genome, including the challenges and opportunities in detecting gene-environment effects in population-scale studies. Understand the biological mechanisms underlying these interactions and their implications for personalized medicine and public health interventions. Gain insights into current research methodologies, study designs, and computational tools used to investigate how environmental exposures modify genetic effects on complex traits and disease susceptibility. This presentation is designed for research technicians, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and established investigators entering the field of medical and population genetics.