This repository contains materials for the tutorial "Beginner-friendly Introduction to Mendelian Randomization" to be presented at ISMB 2025.
Mendelian Randomization (MR) is a method that uses genetic variants as instrumental variables to infer causal relationships between exposures (like biomarkers) and outcomes (like diseases). This tutorial is designed for absolute beginners and will cover foundational concepts, key assumptions, common challenges, and hands-on training using real-world data and the TwoSampleMR R package.
- Understand the principles and assumptions of MR
- Identify common sources of bias (e.g., pleiotropy, population stratification)
- Conduct basic and robust MR analyses in R
- Interpret and visualize MR results
Researchers and students new to MR. No prior MR knowledge is assumed, but R familiarity is required.
- 9:00–09:45: MR Concepts and Assumptions
- 09:45–10:45: Challenges in MR
- 11:00–13:00: Hands-On Session in R (TwoSampleMR, MR-Egger, etc.)
All tutorial slides, data, and code will be made publicly available by 25 June 2025 under an open-source license.
All materials will be released under an OSI-approved open-source license. License details will be added once finalized.
For questions, contact tayyabaalvi82@gmail.com