MeRP

MeRP performs large-scale Mendelian Randomization analyses to develop and evaluate genetic instruments and estimate causal effects between traits and disease endpoints.

Key Features:

• Automation of MR pipeline: Automates development of genetic instruments and their evaluation for potential causal relationships with disease endpoints.
• Utilization of public association data: Leverages the National Human Genome Research Institute catalog of associations to generate instrumental variable trait files.
• Filtering capabilities: Filters potential confounding associations and addresses linkage disequilibrium to improve instrument validity.
• MR-score analysis: Performs MR-score analysis using summary data for disease endpoints to produce estimated causal effect scores.

Scientific Applications:

• Epidemiology and genetic causal inference: Screens large-scale association data to identify putative causal relationships between traits and diseases.
• Instrument development and evaluation: Develops genetic instruments for traits and evaluates their causal links with disease endpoints.
• Example discoveries: Has been used to develop genetic instruments for seven traits and evaluate two disease endpoints, identifying putative associations such as between blood pressure, bone-mineral density, and type 2 diabetes.

Methodology:

Integrates publicly available genetic association data, generates instrumental variable trait files from the National Human Genome Research Institute catalog of associations, develops and evaluates genetic instruments, applies filtering to remove confounding associations and address linkage disequilibrium, and performs MR-score analysis on summary data to estimate causal effects.