With the advent of a very large number of genetic databases and resources, opportunities to conduct Mendelian randomization(MR) studies are quickly increasing. The MR approach proposes using genetic variants as instrumental variables to test or estimate the potential causal effect of a (non-genetic) risk factor on a disease or health-related outcome. When the assumptions are met, the MR approach can overcome the limitations of associations drawn from observational epidemiology and help prioritizing potential targets for pharmaceutical and public health interventions. This 3-day course aims to provide all the tools necessary first to understand the basic principles of causal inference underlying MR and second to perform an MR study; covering both simple and complex statistical methods for causal inference within one- and two- sample Mendelian randomisation frameworks. During the first day, basic principles of causal inference and mediation analysis will be covered. On the second day, students will apply the concepts learned on day 1 within a Mendelian randomisation framework; including methods to assess instrumental variable assumptions and working on hands-on practical sessions employing online tools like MR-base, but also using specific R-libraries. During day 3, examples of published MR studies will be presented followed by discussion of the topics and a short Q&A session. In addition, students will be able to run specific hands-on analyses with diverse summary level datasets. While theoretical background is provided on all topics, this is by definition a “hands-on” practical course, meaning you will spend most of the day performing MR analyses.” Starting this year, the EL018 course will be given on a yearly basis.
