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Birney Lab

Summary

The Birney Lab is a computational biology research group led by Ewan Birney at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory - European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) in Hinxton, UK. The lab develops algorithms and statistical methods for analyzing complex genomic and multi-omic datasets, with a particular focus on sequence analysis, functional genomics, and phenotypic modeling in large cohorts.

Research Focus

  • Genomic Technology and Analysis: Developing computational methods and standards for genomic sequencing and functional genomic assays.
  • Multi-Omic Integration: Analyzing interactions between genetics, clinical phenotypes, and environmental factors in large-scale studies.
  • Oculomics and Biobanking: Collaborating on deep learning pipelines, such as Ret-AAE, to extract digital biomarkers from ophthalmic images in cohorts like the UK Biobank.

Citations

  • Julian, T. H. et al. (2026). Multi-omic analysis of deep learning-derived phenotypes links ophthalmic imaging to cardiovascular and neurological traits. Nature Cardiovascular Research, 5, 541–554. DOI: 10.1038/s44161-026-00815-5. Source paper: s44161-026-00815-5.pdf