Data Science Seminars: Bioinformatics focus

Speaker: Dr. Carlo Maj
Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany

November 10^th, 2026 | 2:30 pm
DEIB, PT2 Meeting Room (Bld. 20A)
On line by Webex

For further information please contact:  Silvia Cascianelli |  silvia.cascianelli@polimi.it

Abstract

Tuesday, November 10^th, 2026 at 2:30 pm a new appointment of Data Science Seminars: Bioinformatics focus will take place in DEIB PT2 Meeting Room (Building 20A), on line by Webex, organized by the Data Science for Bioinformatics group.

The seminar will be held by Dr. Carlo Maj on the following subject: "Genetic Prediction of Molecular Markers through Multi-Omics Integration".

The majority of signals identified by genome-wide association studies map to non-coding regions of the genome, making their functional interpretation challenging. Integrating molecular markers such as gene expression and protein abundance with genetic data offers a principled approach to uncovering the biological mechanisms underlying these associations. Recent technological advances have made large-scale cohorts with individual-level genotype data and matched multi-omics measurements increasingly available. These resources enable the construction of statistical models that predict molecular traits directly from individual genotypes across the whole genome. In this talk I will present an algorithm for sparse model fitting based on component-wise boosting that allows efficient and interpretable prediction across thousands of genetic variants. I will show how jointly modelling mRNA and protein data helps characterize how genetic effects propagate across molecular layers, and outline connections to disease stratification and personalised risk prediction.

Click here to join the meeting.

Short Bio

Dr. Carlo Maj is group leader in Genetic Epidemiology at the Center for Human Genetics, Philipps-Universität Marburg. A bioinformatician by training, he develops and applies statistical learning methods to address questions in human genetics, with a particular focus on the genetic architecture of complex traits and diseases. His work spans polygenic risk prediction, genetic analyses across multiple ancestries, rare variant association studies, and the integration of GWAS data with molecular QTLs across omics layers. He has authored over 100 publications in leading international journals. He is actively involved in teaching the foundations of statistical genetics, and participates in the activities of the German Society of Human Genetics and the European Society of Human Genetics.