Caroline Wright

Professor Caroline Wright and Dr Leigh Jackson discuss newborn genome screening and argue that large-scale population studies are needed to understand the risks Read more for free in BioNews: www.progress.org.uk/population-s... #Genomics #GeneticDisease #NewbornGenomeScreening #DNA #Risk

Did you know that missense variants can also cause splicing defects? We found that ~2.7% of missense variants have SpliceAI>0.2, they reduce circulating protein levels consistent with loss-of-function, and can be diagnostic for rare diseases. New preprint: www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6...

Do you have thoughts on how whole-genome sequencing should be used in newborn screening? We're doing a survey on Genomic Newborn Screening in Public Health @nihrexeterbrc.bsky.social, and would love to hear a diversity of opinions - no prior knowledge needed! Participate here: tinyurl.com/genomicnbs

Are you a skilled and highly motivated Bioinformatics Developer looking for a new opportunity? Join the DECIPHER team - gain knowledge of clinical genomics and improved web development skills while creating tools to facilitate genomic medicine. embl.wd103.myworkdayjobs.com/EMBL/job/Hin...

Good advice!

Funded PhD opportunity with me through the GW4 BioMed3 Doctoral Landscape Programme - exciting and potentially very impactful project: www.exeter.ac.uk/study/fundin...

Newborn screening is incredibly important, but expanding it is not the only way to reduce the diagnostic odyssey in rare disease. Access to rapid diagnostic testing and research are also crucial... as we discuss in a new article in Nature Medicine rdcu.be/fwqpP

You can still register for, 'Unmasking the Genome: Integrating WGS, AI and Functional Genomics', from 1-4 September at the University of Exeter, UK. The workshop is for all researchers working at the leading edge of genomic science. 🧬 Get the programme and register now: tinyurl.com/4vbrp63p

Another paper from the Exeter genomics team @nihrexeterbrc.bsky.social in the EJHG special issue on DNA screening: detecting SMN1/2 exon deletions using WGS data from ~490,000 people in UKB. Surprisingly accurate using a specialist variant caller, almost no false positives! rdcu.be/frLiz

What's the difference between MANE Select and MANE Plus Clinical transcripts? We systematically compare all 65 genes with both using @genomebrowser.bsky.social and @ensembl.org, highlighting implications for genomic diagnostics. www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-9...

Thanks for a fantastic conference #ESHG2026! An intense few days of science and socialising, very inspiring and great to see friends from around the world. Proud of Team Exeter too, for presenting exciting science with huge translational impact whilst also supporting each other and having fun!

Just catching up on @deciphergenomics.bsky.social❤️ in the NMD session at #ESHG2026 Francisca Millan "I would like to start with this wonderful overview that DECIPHER provides. Per-gene, it summarizes all the gene-disease associations ... in different databases." (I assist DECIPHER, unpaid role)

🧬 Missense ≠ not splice. Mwenda Rintari (Exeter) show that ~2–3% of missense variants may disrupt splicing Analysis of 8.3M variants found protein effects approaching loss-of-function variants & several candidate diagnoses in unsolved patients. #ESHG2026

Exeter genomics out in force at #ESHG2026 in Gothenburg! Multiple talks and posters every day...

Dr Leigh Jackson speaking about evaluating penetrance in population cohorts at Genomics of Rare Disease #GRD26 - @exeter.ac.uk well represented here, with 3 talks and 6 posters! @nihrexeterbrc.bsky.social

Really pleased to be working with @lcpilling.bsky.social and others investigating haemochromatosis, a surprisingly common rare disease with high penetrance in older adults! Recent publication highlights the effect of polygenic score on penetrance of HFE p.C282Y homozygotes. doi.org/10.1016/j.jh...

Last few weeks to apply for one of these exciting openings in Exeter for clinical academics in genomic medicine (professor and senior lecturer). Ideal if you want to move to lovely Devon and augment our expanding team of geneticists... Closing date is 22 March, www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/43...

This #RareDiseaseDay we’re highlighting how data sharing supports diagnosis, research & families living with rare conditions. Watch to find out how access to rare disease data can help families better understand their children’s conditions. @uniquecharity.bsky.social @geneticallianceuk.bsky.social

Some exciting openings in Exeter for clinical academics (professor and senior lecturer). Come and shape the future of translational genomic medical research in the South West! Lovely place to work, lovely people to work with, and freedom to pursue great science... www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/43...

Excited to share my first preprint on federated conditional analysis of rare single variant and aggregate association tests across six genetically-inferred ancestry groups in All of Us and UK Biobank doi.org/10.64898/202...

Some important new DECIPHER features released by @deciphergenomics.bsky.social today, including a new management/therapies tab, and links to single gene disorder guides from @uniquecharity.bsky.social

another great international collaboration with our friends in UK and Australia to which we could contribute, describing a very unique disease mechanism for a novel neurodegenerative disorder #genetics #raredisease @ajhgnews.bsky.social @jamesfasham.bsky.social @rdexeter.bsky.social

What do we mean by "actionability" in genomic medicine? An important question as we think more about using genomes for screening as well as diagnosis... read our new paper @gimjournal.bsky.social, authors.elsevier.com/a/1mBYc3vlFV...

New paper on everyone’s favourite topic, QC! We show why you should do genotype-level QC on your WGS data www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... Very real quotes about this paper - “The most exciting, mind-blowing paper of the year!” “On a par with Fisher 1918” “I read it every night. Just so beautiful”

Excellent autumnal away-day by the seaside with the Exeter genomics teams, organised by @drghawkes.bsky.social, discussing improvements to our whole genome sequence annotation and burden-testing pipelines - lots more exciting science to come! @exeter.ac.uk @nihrexeterbrc.bsky.social

Alistair Pagnamenta: rlReduced OI penetrance in @uk_biobank, implications for genomic newborn screening at #ICoNS25. 🦴 majority with P/LP variants have do not have multiple fractures Impact on protein supported by proteomic data 👀 Preprint out today www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...

New pre-print on population penetrance - the first of a set exploring specific gene-disease pairs under consideration for genomic newborn screening. Spoiler alert: careful curation is essential, but penetrance is lower in population than clinical cohorts. www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...

Post-doc opportunity in Exeter 🌟 studying genetic modifiers of haemochromatosis 🩸 Closing date 30 Oct! Come and work with a interdisciplinary team of epidemiologists, clinicians, and statistical geneticists, in a beautiful city in the South West of England ❤️ jobs.exeter.ac.uk/hrpr_webrecr...

As we mourn Jane Goodall, this @nature.com article explores three ways in which she changed science: 1. Altering the way we view both other primates and ourselves 2. Inspiring generations of women scientists 3. Communicating science in a way that engaged the public www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Super-simple application of pathogenicity evidence during variant assessment in @deciphergenomics.bsky.social - even for complicated PVS1 in multiexon deletions where the frame is preserved - confirming a likely diagnosis.

Very cool new feature in @deciphergenomics.bsky.social - direct link from any missense variant to ProtVar @ebi.embl.org. This variant is in the binding site and likely interacts with the ligand, predicted using AlphaFold with AlphaFill!

Both translational and fundamental curiosity-driven research are needed to fuel the incredible progress we're seeing in genomic medicine; an important message in this article and and some lovely quotes from @sarahlwynn.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/25dd...

Pretty excited about giving Talos a try in the NHS @rdexeter.bsky.social‬. We should definitely be doing regular reanalysis of existing genome-wide sequencing data, just need the right tools!

So agree with this - Alphafold models are really fantastic for genomics researchers because they make mapping genetic variants so much simpler! But high-resolution experimental protein structures still offer important extra detail and accuracy, particularly for complexes, ligands, PTMs, etc.

Last day of #ESHG25 #ESHG2025, make sure to catch two fantastic back-to-back talks from @hls.exeter.ac.uk @drghawkes.bsky.social describing whole genome association analysis and meta-analysis across >500,000 people (Tuesday 11:15 & 11:30, C32)

OK, I'm starting to get #ESHG25 FOMO now! Those of you who are there should check out a poster from our group @hls.exeter.ac.uk investigating penetrance of variants in TSC1 & TSC2, with implications for newborn genome screening.(P15.033.D - pop by for a chat Monday 4-5pm)

At #ESHG25, make sure to hear the fantastic @chundru.bsky.social speak about characterizing genome-wide de novo mutations in control populations versus rare disease cases (Monday 11:15, C29), part of the work we're doing in paradigmgenomics.org

At #ESHG25, check out today's workshop with @jamesfasham.bsky.social to learn about the amazing @deciphergenomics.bsky.social‬ (Sunday 14:15, W10)

Got a big showing of talented University of Exeter scientists with talks and posters at ESHG25 in Milan. Come along and find out more! @hls.exeter.ac.uk @exeter.ac.uk #ESHG25 @jamesfasham.bsky.social @jingzhan.bsky.social @ambermluckett.bsky.social @chundru.bsky.social @harrygreentkd.bsky.social

🤗 Hugely excited to share our work on automating iterative reanalysis in #raredisease, preprint out: www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1... 🤖🧬 github.com/populationge... A superb collaboration with @dgmacarthur.bsky.social @cassimons.bsky.social @heidirehm.bsky.social @ksamocha.bsky.social and many more!

Fascinating insights into embryonic life from a very productive collaboration between DECIPHER and MuzHaniffa and her talented team @mhaniffa.bsky.social

⬇️ again. I feel the need to re-post this point pretty much every week! Benign variants are not low penetrance.

"Remember that it's not only scientists that read your papers" - sage advice from author of a beautiful poem 'Proband', which began life as a response to our DDD NEJM paper, linking genomic science and its patients. www.consilience-journal.com/issue-17-pro...