Gao Wang, PhD | Tue 10/20/2026 | Genetics and Genomic Sciences External Seminar Series

Gao Wang, PhD Assistant Professor of Neurological Sciences and Biostatistics Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons Tue 10/20/2026 Host: Kailash BP Join us in-person at 10am for the Breakfast Social! In-Person Seminar RSVP Link Trainee Session RSVP Link Webinar Link Abstract: Genetic variants can alter RNA processing and protein modification even when total gene expression changes little. In this talk, I will present a statistical functional genomics paradigm that combines new molecular phenotypes with joint QTL analysis. These phenotypes include unproductive splicing, cell-type-specific splice-site usage, alternative polyadenylation, protein glycosylation, and transcriptomic patterns and coordinated gene programs learned from RNA-seq data. I will then describe how functional and multivariate fine-mapping and multi-trait colocalization localize genetic effects and distinguish shared regulation from apparent overlap caused by linkage disequilibrium. Applications in the aging human brain illustrate how these approaches connect Alzheimer’s disease loci to genes, molecular processes and cellular contexts. Examples include candidate links between TMEM106B glycosylation, protein abundance and lysosomal regulation, and regulatory effects beyond the canonical APOE coding haplotypes, turning genetic associations into specific hypotheses for functional testing.