University of Manchester

Academic Institute

OFHS240212

The study aims to improve understanding of the genetic factors contributing to patient having multiple health conditions at the same time. It will focus on people from all backgrounds to make research more inclusive. Objectives: 1 Study the genetics of multiple diseases across diverse population from Our Future Health moving research beyond that focuses on white European populations. 2. Develop new method for genetics analysis that is more inclusive and does not rely on traditional labels such as ancestry or ethnicity. This will be compared against traditional methods that group people based on ancestry. 3. Develop personalised risk prediction tool based on genetics to predict the likelihood of developing multiple health conditions, using advanced statistical frameworks to improve accuracy for people from all backgrounds. Most genetics research has focused on people of European backgrounds. This means that people from other backgrounds are underrepresented, leading to gaps in health research and care. To make health discoveries that benefit everyone, we need to study a more diverse range of genetic data. Multimorbidity, which means when a person has two or more health conditions at the same time, is a growing public health challenge, especially in ageing populations. Scientists still do not yet fully understand how genes influence multimorbidity, which makes it harder to develop better treatments and prevention strategies. This study will help close these gaps by improving our understanding of how genetics contribute to multimorbidity. By including more diverse genetic data, this research will ensure that future health discoveries are more accurate, fair, and beneficial for all populations.

Multimorbidity, which means when a person has two or more health conditions at the same time is a growing public health challenge, especially in older adult. It affects patients' quality of life and increases healthcare costs. Despite its importance, Scientists still do not yet fully understand how genes influence multimorbidity. Most genetics research is heavily focused towards populations of European background. This lack of diversity in genetics research limits our ability to develop effective ways to prevent and treat multimorbidity for everyone. This study will help fill the gap by improving our understanding of how genetic contribute to multimorbidity. The findings could help identify new drug targets and improve disease prevention. A key part of this research is developing personalised genetic risk scores to predict multimorbidity. These scores could help identify people at higher risk earlier, allowing for better prevention and treatment. Additionally, the study will introduce new and more inclusive ways to analyse genetic data, making future research more accurate for people of all backgrounds. The results will contribute to reducing health disparities, improving personalised medicine approaches, and driving innovations in disease prevention and treatment, benefiting patients and public health systems alike.

Public Health Research

14/05/2025

12/03/2025

TRE