Dr Christopher Kintu

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Dr Christopher Kintu is a post-doctoral research assistant at Precision Healthcare University Research Institute (PHURI), Queen Mary University of London, UK (QMUL).  His core role at PHURI is to leverage African data resources to identify novel genetic associated and causal variants, compute polygenic risk scores, and investigate the causal risk factors for a range of non-communicable diseases in global populations.  

 Dr Kintu’s PhD research focused on leveraging African-ancestry datasets from global cohorts and continental Africans to investigate the predictive utility of polygenic risk scores in predicting kidney function in individuals of African ancestry. He is also keen to infer causality between polygenic traits using Mendelian Randomization techniques, while utilizing publicly available datasets. With two first-authorship publications in e-biomedicine and BMC Genomics, Dr Kintu is extending his skills in executing similar types of duties at QMUL, while opening his mind to other techniques and skills at PHURI.  

 Prior to joining QMUL, Dr Kintu worked as a consultant in Bioinformatics for the Non-communicable diseases (NCD) group at Medical Research Council/Uganda Virus Research Institute & London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (MRC/UVRI & LSHTM).  

His goal is to cement his career in the field of human genetics, hinged on genetic variation in diverse populations while broadly providing insights into genetic underpinnings of complex traits, with the ultimate goal of contributing to the advancement of precision and/or individualized medicine. Beyond research, he advocates scientific mentorship with an aim to inspire the next generation of geneticists. 

Research