Burcu Darst
@burcudarst.bsky.social
Genetic Epidemiologist, Assistant Professor, Fred Hutch Cancer Center
Pinned
Burcu Darst
@burcudarst.bsky.social
· Dec 17
Polygenic Risk Score and Upgrading in Patients With Prostate Cancer Receiving Active Surveillance
This cohort study examines the association between a polygenic risk score and risk of upgrading and other prostate tumor features in patients with prostate cancer receiving active surveillance.
jamanetwork.com
Excited to share our work showing that a prostate cancer PRS was associated with upgrading on active surveillance (HR~2, comparing top v bottom PRS quintiles), along w/ higher %cancerous biopsy cores, smaller prostate volume, and higher PSA density, which can suggest risk of aggressive disease.
Reposted by Burcu Darst
For #Readers: The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge is pretty darn great. It has the 339 books (novels, nonfiction, plays, poetry) that Rory of the The Gilmore Girls* is shown reading. I'm only at 23% so I need to get to steppin'.
* I've haven't seen an episode...yet.
share.google/2IBopgRRRtpf...
* I've haven't seen an episode...yet.
share.google/2IBopgRRRtpf...
The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge
Over the course of seven seasons of Gilmore Girls, Rory Gilmore was seen reading 339 books on screen. How many have you read?
From...
share.google
November 10, 2025 at 10:48 PM
For #Readers: The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge is pretty darn great. It has the 339 books (novels, nonfiction, plays, poetry) that Rory of the The Gilmore Girls* is shown reading. I'm only at 23% so I need to get to steppin'.
* I've haven't seen an episode...yet.
share.google/2IBopgRRRtpf...
* I've haven't seen an episode...yet.
share.google/2IBopgRRRtpf...
Reposted by Burcu Darst
8 high level positions at NIH posted including 6 institute director positions (NIMH, NIGMS, NICHD, NIDCR, NHGRI, NLM).
Only open for 2 weeks (applications due November 21).
Application materials include a) CV b) vision statement c) a photocopy of doctoral degree.
hr.nih.gov/careers/open...
Only open for 2 weeks (applications due November 21).
Application materials include a) CV b) vision statement c) a photocopy of doctoral degree.
hr.nih.gov/careers/open...
hr.nih.gov
November 7, 2025 at 10:20 PM
8 high level positions at NIH posted including 6 institute director positions (NIMH, NIGMS, NICHD, NIDCR, NHGRI, NLM).
Only open for 2 weeks (applications due November 21).
Application materials include a) CV b) vision statement c) a photocopy of doctoral degree.
hr.nih.gov/careers/open...
Only open for 2 weeks (applications due November 21).
Application materials include a) CV b) vision statement c) a photocopy of doctoral degree.
hr.nih.gov/careers/open...
Reposted by Burcu Darst
uva rejects the compact
October 17, 2025 at 8:42 PM
uva rejects the compact
Reposted by Burcu Darst
Attending #ASHG25? Learn how @prsmethods.bsky.social investigators are improving polygenic risk prediction in diverse populations by visiting these talks and posters docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
ASHG 2025 PRIMED Abstracts
docs.google.com
October 14, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Attending #ASHG25? Learn how @prsmethods.bsky.social investigators are improving polygenic risk prediction in diverse populations by visiting these talks and posters docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
Excited to share our recent work characterizing a type 2 diabetes (T2D) polygenic risk score (PRS) in a collaboration that included 244,637 T2D cases and 637,891 controls, led by @boyaguo.bsky.social! (1/3)
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Polygenic risk score for type 2 diabetes shows context-dependent effects across populations - Nature Communications
Polygenic risk scores can help identify individuals at higher risk of type 2 diabetes. Here, the authors characterise a multi-ancestry score across nearly 900,000 people, showing that its predictive value depends on demographic and clinical context and extends to related traits and complications.
www.nature.com
October 9, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Excited to share our recent work characterizing a type 2 diabetes (T2D) polygenic risk score (PRS) in a collaboration that included 244,637 T2D cases and 637,891 controls, led by @boyaguo.bsky.social! (1/3)
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Burcu Darst
Reposted by Burcu Darst
Fred Hutch Girls Who Code is rolling again with another session on computational biology! Please share the word with high school students and educators
📅 Tuesdays 4:30-6pm, Oct 14 - Dec 2
📍 Fred Hutch (in-person)
🎯 Small groups, comp bio & fun
Apply by Oct 10: form.jotform.com/fredhutch/fr...
📅 Tuesdays 4:30-6pm, Oct 14 - Dec 2
📍 Fred Hutch (in-person)
🎯 Small groups, comp bio & fun
Apply by Oct 10: form.jotform.com/fredhutch/fr...
Fred Hutch Girls Who Code Fall 2025 Application
Please click the link to complete this form.
form.jotform.com
September 25, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Fred Hutch Girls Who Code is rolling again with another session on computational biology! Please share the word with high school students and educators
📅 Tuesdays 4:30-6pm, Oct 14 - Dec 2
📍 Fred Hutch (in-person)
🎯 Small groups, comp bio & fun
Apply by Oct 10: form.jotform.com/fredhutch/fr...
📅 Tuesdays 4:30-6pm, Oct 14 - Dec 2
📍 Fred Hutch (in-person)
🎯 Small groups, comp bio & fun
Apply by Oct 10: form.jotform.com/fredhutch/fr...
Reposted by Burcu Darst
New cures feel sudden, but the seeds were planted decades ago by basic scientists.
Which seeds will turn into cures? Unpredictable looking forward, a straight line looking back. 🧪🧬 🧵
Which seeds will turn into cures? Unpredictable looking forward, a straight line looking back. 🧪🧬 🧵
Huntington's disease successfully treated for first time
One of the most devastating diseases finally has a treatment that can slow its progression and transform lives, tearful doctors tell BBC.
www.bbc.com
September 25, 2025 at 1:39 AM
New cures feel sudden, but the seeds were planted decades ago by basic scientists.
Which seeds will turn into cures? Unpredictable looking forward, a straight line looking back. 🧪🧬 🧵
Which seeds will turn into cures? Unpredictable looking forward, a straight line looking back. 🧪🧬 🧵
Reposted by Burcu Darst
PRS are well know to have variable performance across ancestries, frequently with a European bias. We looked closely at fairness of PRS for CVD risk prediction, both with PRS on it's own and in an integrated risk score...
Our results were surprising... 👉 www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
Our results were surprising... 👉 www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
Current polygenic risk scores are unlikely to exacerbate unfairness in cardiovascular disease risk prediction
Background: Current cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk prediction models place many individuals in an intermediate risk category where clinical decision-making remains uncertain, highlighting a critica...
www.medrxiv.org
September 19, 2025 at 3:29 PM
PRS are well know to have variable performance across ancestries, frequently with a European bias. We looked closely at fairness of PRS for CVD risk prediction, both with PRS on it's own and in an integrated risk score...
Our results were surprising... 👉 www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
Our results were surprising... 👉 www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Burcu Darst
Best of both worlds: You can pass a Linux command to data.table
jozef.io/r917-fread-c...
jozef.io/r917-fread-c...
How data.table's fread can save you a lot of time and memory, and take input from shell commands - Jozef's Rblog
In this post we write about experience with data.table's fread for reading tabular data from text files such as .csvs and how it compares to other packages like readr or base R.
jozef.io
September 21, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Best of both worlds: You can pass a Linux command to data.table
jozef.io/r917-fread-c...
jozef.io/r917-fread-c...
Reposted by Burcu Darst
This is now the third year that I'm reminded how greatful I am to @jkpritch.bsky.social when I'm preparing my human genetics lectures, for An Owner's Guide to the Human Genome (web.stanford.edu/group/pritch...). It really is the textbook we are all missing. Its crazy no real alternative exists.
An Owner's Guide to the Human Genome
An Owner's Guide to the Human Genome
web.stanford.edu
September 12, 2025 at 12:07 PM
This is now the third year that I'm reminded how greatful I am to @jkpritch.bsky.social when I'm preparing my human genetics lectures, for An Owner's Guide to the Human Genome (web.stanford.edu/group/pritch...). It really is the textbook we are all missing. Its crazy no real alternative exists.
Reposted by Burcu Darst
I'm hiring a computational biologist interested in complex trait genetics using deep learning approaches. Reach out to me, if interested.
September 12, 2025 at 7:00 PM
I'm hiring a computational biologist interested in complex trait genetics using deep learning approaches. Reach out to me, if interested.
Reposted by Burcu Darst
This was neat work by @nmancuso.bsky.social et al developing and benchmarking a new multi-ancestry fine-mapping method (“SuShiE”). I learned something about the performance of pooled v stratified analyses but still have some Qs. 1/n
📢OUT TODAY @natgenet.nature.com
📰Improved multiancestry fine-mapping identifies cis-regulatory variants underlying molecular traits and disease risk.
By @zeyunlu.bsky.social, @nmancuso.bsky.social and colleagues.
⬇️
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
📰Improved multiancestry fine-mapping identifies cis-regulatory variants underlying molecular traits and disease risk.
By @zeyunlu.bsky.social, @nmancuso.bsky.social and colleagues.
⬇️
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Improved multiancestry fine-mapping identifies cis-regulatory variants underlying molecular traits and disease risk - Nature Genetics
SuShiE is a multiancestry fine-mapping method for molecular quantitative trait loci that leverages linkage disequilibrium heterogeneity to improve resolution, infer cross-ancestry effect size correlat...
www.nature.com
September 8, 2025 at 11:37 AM
This was neat work by @nmancuso.bsky.social et al developing and benchmarking a new multi-ancestry fine-mapping method (“SuShiE”). I learned something about the performance of pooled v stratified analyses but still have some Qs. 1/n
Reposted by Burcu Darst
Our Department of Health issued a Standing Order for the COVID-19 vaccine today, as we work to ensure that all Washingtonians 6 months or older have access to these vaccines.
I will do everything in my power to protect our residents with policies still based in rigorous science.
I will do everything in my power to protect our residents with policies still based in rigorous science.
We have issued a Standing Order for the COVID-19 vaccine, making it easier for WA residents to get vaccinated. Read more at doh.wa.gov/newsroom/doh...
DOH confirms COVID-19 vaccine position with new Standing Order
For immediate release: September 5, 2025 (25-104) Contact: DOH Communications
doh.wa.gov
September 5, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Our Department of Health issued a Standing Order for the COVID-19 vaccine today, as we work to ensure that all Washingtonians 6 months or older have access to these vaccines.
I will do everything in my power to protect our residents with policies still based in rigorous science.
I will do everything in my power to protect our residents with policies still based in rigorous science.
Reposted by Burcu Darst
Please take a moment to tell us how you use the Genome Browser: surveymars.com/q/mnb...
Your feedback supports future improvements and our continued funding.
Your feedback supports future improvements and our continued funding.
UCSC Genome Browser User Satisfaction Survey | SurveyMars
I have posted a survey titled 'UCSC Genome Browser User Satisfaction Survey' on SurveyMars. Please help me by filling it out. Thank you very much!
surveymars.com
September 5, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Please take a moment to tell us how you use the Genome Browser: surveymars.com/q/mnb...
Your feedback supports future improvements and our continued funding.
Your feedback supports future improvements and our continued funding.
Reposted by Burcu Darst
Excited to share our latest manuscript, "Exposure accumulation drives age-dependent disease architectures and polygenic risk scores," led by Xilin Jiang: www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
I am attempting an explainer thread for the first time here:
(I am usually too exhausted to post one)
I am attempting an explainer thread for the first time here:
(I am usually too exhausted to post one)
Exposure accumulation drives age-dependent disease architectures and polygenic risk scores
Our understanding of the dependence of the genetic and environmental architecture of common diseases on age is incomplete. Here, we use longitudinal data to quantify age-dependent genetic and environm...
www.medrxiv.org
September 2, 2025 at 11:08 PM
Excited to share our latest manuscript, "Exposure accumulation drives age-dependent disease architectures and polygenic risk scores," led by Xilin Jiang: www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
I am attempting an explainer thread for the first time here:
(I am usually too exhausted to post one)
I am attempting an explainer thread for the first time here:
(I am usually too exhausted to post one)
Reposted by Burcu Darst
Yesterday the president demanded that evidence about Covid vaccines be shown to the public. Today @apoorvanyt.bsky.social & I run through some of the studies made public over the past 4+ years that show that the vaccines work. Gift link: nyti.ms/46k17Tq
nyti.ms
September 2, 2025 at 9:21 PM
Yesterday the president demanded that evidence about Covid vaccines be shown to the public. Today @apoorvanyt.bsky.social & I run through some of the studies made public over the past 4+ years that show that the vaccines work. Gift link: nyti.ms/46k17Tq
Reposted by Burcu Darst
You're invited to the 3rd Annual BACPAC #ProstateCancer Community Research Symposium — a free event hosted by Fred Hutch Cancer Center and @uwmedicine.bsky.social, in collaboration with BACPAC and ZERO Prostate Cancer.
Register: https://bit.ly/4fSYyv5
Register: https://bit.ly/4fSYyv5
August 24, 2025 at 6:05 PM
You're invited to the 3rd Annual BACPAC #ProstateCancer Community Research Symposium — a free event hosted by Fred Hutch Cancer Center and @uwmedicine.bsky.social, in collaboration with BACPAC and ZERO Prostate Cancer.
Register: https://bit.ly/4fSYyv5
Register: https://bit.ly/4fSYyv5
Reposted by Burcu Darst
Now on CRAN, ggdiagram is a #ggplot2 extension that draws diagrams programmatically in #Rstats. Allows for precise control in how objects, labels, and equations are placed in relation to each other.
wjschne.github.io/ggdiagram/ar...
wjschne.github.io/ggdiagram/ar...
August 20, 2025 at 10:43 AM
Now on CRAN, ggdiagram is a #ggplot2 extension that draws diagrams programmatically in #Rstats. Allows for precise control in how objects, labels, and equations are placed in relation to each other.
wjschne.github.io/ggdiagram/ar...
wjschne.github.io/ggdiagram/ar...
Reposted by Burcu Darst
ATTN: Robert Wood Johnson has money to support “canceled” research on racial-indigenous health equity
www.rwjf.org/en/grants/ac...
www.rwjf.org/en/grants/ac...
Rapid Response: Reinvesting in Racial and Indigenous Health Equity Research
The purpose of this call for proposals is to meet the current moment by supporting timely, actionable health equity research that has been interrupted by shifts in federal funding.
www.rwjf.org
August 20, 2025 at 2:43 PM
ATTN: Robert Wood Johnson has money to support “canceled” research on racial-indigenous health equity
www.rwjf.org/en/grants/ac...
www.rwjf.org/en/grants/ac...
Reposted by Burcu Darst
I'm looking to recruit a PhD student to study patterns of local adaptation and introgression across the spruce hybrid zone in the Rockies near Calgary. Projects can include field work, bioinformatics, pop gen theory, or comparison to plant/ conifer species
yeamanlab.weebly.com/uploads/5/7/...
yeamanlab.weebly.com/uploads/5/7/...
August 20, 2025 at 8:19 PM
I'm looking to recruit a PhD student to study patterns of local adaptation and introgression across the spruce hybrid zone in the Rockies near Calgary. Projects can include field work, bioinformatics, pop gen theory, or comparison to plant/ conifer species
yeamanlab.weebly.com/uploads/5/7/...
yeamanlab.weebly.com/uploads/5/7/...
Reposted by Burcu Darst
Seeking scientist volunteers for this fall! Want to practice science communication and help author a 🌟comic🌟 about your research? I need collaborators for the next cohort of SciComm & Comics art and design students. All countries and scientific fields eligible.
August 20, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Seeking scientist volunteers for this fall! Want to practice science communication and help author a 🌟comic🌟 about your research? I need collaborators for the next cohort of SciComm & Comics art and design students. All countries and scientific fields eligible.
Reposted by Burcu Darst
We are hiring into 3 (THREE!) tenure track lines this year at Wake Forest — if you’re looking please reach out, I love chatting about our department! We are a vibrant group that love & embrace the teacher-scholar model 👩🏫
August 20, 2025 at 11:46 AM
We are hiring into 3 (THREE!) tenure track lines this year at Wake Forest — if you’re looking please reach out, I love chatting about our department! We are a vibrant group that love & embrace the teacher-scholar model 👩🏫
Reposted by Burcu Darst
happy to say my new department is hiring an associate/full professor: academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/30328
please apply!
please apply!
August 18, 2025 at 10:22 PM
happy to say my new department is hiring an associate/full professor: academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/30328
please apply!
please apply!
Reposted by Burcu Darst
Director at Max Planck - a unique position! The Open Call for Expressions of Interest in Max Planck Directorships is open now and can be submitted by the 31st of October 2025. ➡️ mpg.de/directors - Please share the Open Call among potential candidates.
August 1, 2025 at 9:06 AM
Director at Max Planck - a unique position! The Open Call for Expressions of Interest in Max Planck Directorships is open now and can be submitted by the 31st of October 2025. ➡️ mpg.de/directors - Please share the Open Call among potential candidates.