iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Brunilda Balliu @brunildaballiu.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

6/ Huge credit to first author Seung Hyuk Lee and co-senior author Päivi Pajukanta, our incredible collaborators at UCLA and in Finland, and the KOBS & RYSA participants who made this possible. 🙏

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Brunilda Balliu @brunildaballiu.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

5/ We integrated single-cell DNA methylation + 3D genome data (snm3C-seq) from the same tissue. 81% of colocalized risk variants sit in active (A) chromatin compartments, which cover just ~45% of the genome. At cell-type resolution, the concentration is even sharper than bulk work has suggested.

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Brunilda Balliu @brunildaballiu.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

4/ 90% of these disease genes are cell-type-specific, and adipocytes lead by a wide margin (55%). Crucially, 67% of our colocalizations were NOT detected in the largest bulk adipose meta-analysis (AdipoExpress). Cell type + obesity context together reveal what bulk missed.

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Brunilda Balliu @brunildaballiu.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

3/ Using snRNA-seq of subcutaneous adipose tissue from 127 people with Class III obesity (mean BMI 42, 33% T2D), we mapped cis-eQTLs in 5 major cell types and colocalized them with GWAS for 33 cardiometabolic & aging traits. Result: 279 disease genes, 682 colocalized eQTL-GWAS pairs.

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Brunilda Balliu @brunildaballiu.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

2/ Prior bulk adipose eQTL studies have been foundational, but they average across cell types AND were conducted in predominantly non-obese donors. That's two layers of signal potentially hidden: cellular heterogeneity + disease context. We set out to recover both. 🧵

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Brunilda Balliu @brunildaballiu.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

🚨 Applications are open for the UCLA Postdoct Training Program in Neurobehavioral Genetics 🧠🧬 Deadline: 6/30 👉 neurogen.semel.ucla.edu/curriculum/ Contact me if you're interested to write a proposal together combining genetics + functional genomics + digital phenotypes from wearables/smartphones!

neurogen.semel.ucla.edu

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