| Glenys Thomson, Chair Biostatistics The biostatistics core will develop a set of interactive web based computer programs for analysis of the individual and combined data sets for the (1) Anthropology/Human Diversity, (2) HLA Expression in Cancer, and (3) HLA and Disease projects. For the Anthropology project we will analyze HLA class I and class II genetic data across a broad range of ethnic groups, to study levels of variation, fit to Hardy Weinberg proportions, tests of neutrality of allele and haplotype frequency distributions, levels of linkage disequilibrium, and phylogenetic relationships. The correlation of HLA class I downregulation with histopathological characteristics of the lesion and clinical parameters of the disease will be analyzed in the HLA and Cancer project. In the HLA and Disease project, microsatellite variation will be analyzed to identify additional susceptibility genes in the HLA region besides the associated HLA antigen-presenting molecules which have already been defined for IDDM, RA, celiac disease (CD), narcolepsy (NC), and spondyloarthropathy (SA), in particular ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Study of HLA relates to the fields of cellular immunology, transplantation, mapping and characterization of the human genome, complex human genetic diseases and traits, anthropological studies, genetic epidemiology, and forensics. The results of our research will contribute to studies on the origin, maintenance, and evolution of HLA genetic variation in human populations, including variation involved in disease processes and identification of additional disease predisposing loci in the HLA region. |
