Research Publications
Our work has been published in leading international journals, including Nature Communications, Cardiovascular Research (CVR),European Heart Journal, Circulation, PNAS, The Lancet Regional Health – Southeast Asia, Communications Medicine, JAHA, and the British Journal of Dermatology, among others. Selected publications are below. For a full list of publications and pre-prints, please see my Google Scholar profile
Blood pressure, plasma proteins, and cardiovascular diseases: a network Mendelian randomization and observational study
European Heart Journal (IF=35.49)
This study identifies plasma proteins that influence cardiovascular disease risk through their effects on blood pressure, highlighting new molecular targets linked to coronary artery disease and stroke.
Multi-trait association analysis reveals shared genetic loci between Alzheimer’s disease and cardiovascular traits
Nature Communications (IF=15.7)
We used large-scale genetic and molecular data to investigate why Alzheimer’s disease and cardiovascular conditions often occur together. By integrating multiple genetic studies, we identified shared genetic regions and genes that appear to influence risk for both conditions. Our analyses highlight overlapping biological pathways involving specific cell types in the heart and brain and suggest that some shared mechanisms may act differently at early versus later stages of disease. Together, these findings provide new insights into the genetic links between neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases and point to potential shared targets for future research.
In this study, we used genetic approaches to examine the causal relationships between blood lipids, circulating proteins, and cardiovascular disease risk in South Asian populations. We identified both established and potential new protein targets involved in lipid regulation and cardiovascular outcomes, while also highlighting important differences in genetic effects across ancestry groups. These findings improve our understanding of lipid biology in underrepresented populations and help inform the development of more precise and equitable cardiovascular therapies.
Multiple long-term conditions in people with psoriasis: a latent class and bidirectional Mendelian randomization analysis
British Journal of Dermatology (IF=10.6)
Our findings suggest that psoriasis may share genetic risk with several cardiometabolic and mental health conditions, including coronary artery disease, heart failure, type 2 diabetes, and depression. Genetic analyses indicate a potentialassociation between genetic liability to coronary artery disease and increased risk of psoriasis, while evidence for psoriasis influencing cardiovascular outcomes was suggestive and not consistently supported across sensitivity analyses. Overall, these results highlight the potential value of integrated approaches to comorbidity prevention and management, although causal relationships remain uncertain.
Our genetic analyses suggest that GP6 (glycoprotein 6) may play a causal role in the risk of cardioembolic stroke in individuals of South Asian ancestry. These findings highlight GP6 as a potential therapeutic target, warranting further genetic and clinical studies to confirm its role and relevance in this population.
Genetics of the human face: Identification of large-effect single gene variants
PNAS (IF=9.1)
Human facial features vary widely, and this study explores how genetics may contribute to that variation. By focusing on facial features that are more strongly inherited and on individuals with more distinctive facial characteristics, we identified a small number of genetic variants that may influence aspects of facial shape, particularly facial profile and the area around the eyes. These findings suggest that combining detailed facial imaging with genetic data could potentiallyhelp improve our understanding of why human faces differ, although further research is needed.
