Neurological disorders are a major contributor to disability and loss of independence worldwide. Although these conditions are often studied individually, many neurological diseases share overlapping biological pathways, while also displaying disease-specific molecular features. Understanding both the shared and distinct mechanisms across neurological disorders may provide important insights into disease etiology, early detection, and potential therapeutic targets.
The UK Biobank provides an unprecedented resource for investigating these questions at population scale, with extensive phenotypic information linked to genetic and multi-omics data, including GWAS, plasma proteomics and metabolomics. The primary research questions are: (1) what molecular features are common across major neurological disorders, and (2) which molecular signatures distinguish specific diseases. To address these questions, we will integrate clinical phenotypes with multi-omics data from the UK Biobank to systematically characterize cross-disease molecular patterns. We will further explore the biological pathways associated with these signatures and assess their potential relevance for disease stratification and risk prediction.
By identifying shared and disease-specific molecular features across neurological disorders, this project aims to improve our understanding of the biological architecture underlying these conditions and contribute to the development of more precise approaches for early detection and prevention.