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Learn the fundamental principles of Mendelian randomization in this 52-minute educational video from the Broad Institute's Medical and Population Genetics Primer series. Explore how genetic variants can be used as instrumental variables to infer causal relationships between exposures and outcomes in epidemiological research, presented by Haodong Tian, Research Fellow at the Broad Institute and Postdoctoral Researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital. Discover the theoretical foundations of Mendelian randomization, including the key assumptions required for valid causal inference, common study designs, and practical applications in medical genetics research. Examine real-world examples of how this powerful statistical method helps overcome confounding and reverse causation issues that plague traditional observational studies. Understand the strengths and limitations of Mendelian randomization approaches, including potential violations of instrumental variable assumptions and strategies for sensitivity analysis. Gain insights into how genetic variants serve as natural randomized experiments, mimicking the design of randomized controlled trials to establish causality between risk factors and disease outcomes. This primer is designed for research technicians, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and established investigators entering the field of medical and population genetics who want to understand this increasingly important analytical tool for causal inference in genetic epidemiology.
