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MendelianRandomization

Summary

MendelianRandomization is an R package for performing Mendelian Randomization (MR) analyses using summary statistics. It is maintained by Stephen Burgess of the Burgess Group and provides a broad suite of statistical models to estimate causal effects and handle invalid instruments.

Features

  • Diverse Estimators: Implements standard IVW, MR-Egger, maximum likelihood, and weighted median approaches, alongside advanced methods like the contamination mixture method.
  • Robustness and Corrections: Offers robust models to account for pleiotropic variants and weak instruments.
  • Visualization Options: Includes functions for drawing scatter plots, funnel plots, and forest plots of causal estimates.

Citations

  • Yavorska, O. O. & Burgess, S. (2017). MendelianRandomization: an R package for performing Mendelian randomization analyses using summarized data. International Journal of Epidemiology, 46(6), 1734–1739. DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyx034
  • Sanderson, E. et al. (2026). Challenges and future directions for Mendelian randomization. Nature Genetics, 58(5), 984–994. DOI: 10.1038/s41588-026-02546-6. Source paper: s41588-026-02546-6.pdf