FinnGen research results integrated into Open Targets Genetics
The Open Targets Genetics Portal identifies targets based on genome-wide association studies and functional genomics. It highlights variant-centric statistical evidence to allow both prioritisation of candidate causal variants at trait-associated loci and identification of potential drug targets. This analysis feeds into the Open Targets Platform, which integrates a range of publicly available data to build and score associations between targets and diseases.
“The rich phenotypic information and special characteristics of the FinnGen data make it a very high priority resource for Open Targets to advance genetic-based target identification and prioritisation. We are looking forward to providing our analysis and views of FinnGen data through the Open Targets Genetics Portal”, said Ian Dunham, the Director of Open Targets.
The portal aggregates and merges genetic associations curated from literature and newly-derived loci from UK Biobank with open source functional genomics data including epigenetics and quantitative trait loci. Collaborative work with the GWAS catalog allows Open Targets to include data from genome-wide summary statistics including UK Biobank. From the latest FinnGen public data release (DF5), Open Targets has included every endpoint with at least one genome-wide significant locus, a total of 1,267 endpoints.
"Open Targets has for years been invaluable to us and many in the interpretation of emerging genetic discoveries in real time. We are thrilled that FinnGen results will now be prominently available in Open Targets as this will certainly increase the value and utility of our work to the genetics community", said Mark Daly, the Director of the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland FIMM at the University of Helsinki, the institute coordinating the FinnGen study.
"The unique genetic make-up of the Finnish population as a result of the historic isolation then expansion makes FinnGen an incredibly valuable resource to discover novel disease-associated variants that are either unique or highly enriched in the Finnish population. We are very excited to see genetic breakthroughs from FinnGen integrated into Open Targets Genetics. This in combination with Finland’s decades-long investments in population-wide medical registry data offers enormous opportunities to identify novel therapeutic targets and validate existing ones. Gaining novel insights into the genetic underpinning of diseases and traits will inevitably accelerate and foster clinical translation”, said Maya Ghoussaini, Genetic Analysis Team Leader, Open Targets.
The FinnGen results presented in the Open Targets are based on publicly available FinnGen GWAS summary statistics. In case you are interested in accessing individual level biobank samples and data or recontacting Finnish biobank participants, please visit the Fingenious portal hosted by the Finnish Biobank Cooperative FINBB for more information.
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