Assistant Professor | Principal Investigator

John Morris

Department of Molecular Genetics

PhD

Publications

Address

Room 810

Research Interests

Bioinformatics, CRISPR Screening, Genome-Wide Association Studies, Human Genetics, Single-Cell Sequencing

Appointment Status

Primary

Qualification

New York Genome Center, New York University, Postdoctoral Fellow, 2019-2024.
McGill University, PhD in Human Genetics, 2018.
Western University, BSc in Biology, 2013.

MY RESEARCH OVERVIEW

Genetic associations with human traits and disease

We have extensive experience in performing genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to identify genetic variants associated with human complex traits and common diseases. We are also experts in interpreting GWAS results through the lens of statistical fine-mapping for likely causal variants, Mendelian randomization for causal effects on other traits or diseases, and functional genomics integration for regulatory effects.

GWAS variants can nominate novel therapeutic targets for human diseases, however, 90% of identified variants map to noncoding regions of the genome with unknown functions or target genes.

This is the variant-to-function (V2F) problem.

CRISPR genome editing to solve V2F for GWAS

To help solve V2F, we perform high-throughput, pooled CRISPR screens with single-cell sequencing to more deeply study GWAS loci. We use human cell models and CRISPR-based approaches for perturbing GWAS loci to examine their impact on gene expression, gene regulatory networks, and proteins. In doing so, we can identify target genes and learn about their functions in disease-relevant cell models.

Visit Dr. John Morris's Discover Research profile to learn more.

SELECT PUBLICATIONS

Morris JA, Sun JS, Sanjana NE. Next-generation forward genetic screens: uniting high-throughput perturbations with single-cell analysis. Trends Genet. 2023 Nov 20;40(2):118-133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tig.2023.10.012
Morris JA, Caragine C, Daniloski Z, Domingo J, Barry T, Lu L, Davis K, Ziosi M, Glinos DA, Hao S, Mimitou E, Smibert P, Roeder K, Katsevich E, Lappalainen T, Sanjana NE. Discovery of target genes and pathways at GWAS loci by pooled single-cell CRISPR screens. Science. 2023 May 4;380(6646): eadh7699. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adh7699
Morris JA*, Kemp JP*, Youlten SE, Laurent L, Logan JG, Chai RC, Vulpescu NA, Forgetta V, Kleinman A, Mohanty ST, Sergio CM, Quinn J, Nguyen-Yamamoto L, Luco A-L, Vijay J, Simon M-M, Pramatarova A, Medina-Gomez C, Trajanoska K, Ghirardello EJ, Butterfield NC, Curry KF, Leitch VD, Sparkes PC, Adoum A-T, Mannan NS, Komla-Ebri D, Pollard AS, Dewhurst HF, Hassall TAD, Beltejar M-JG, 23andMe Research Team, Adams DoJ, Vaillancourt SM, Kaptoge S, Baldock P, Cooper C, Reeve J, Ntzani E, Evangelou E, Ohlsson C, Karasik D, Rivadeneira F, Kiel DP, Tobias JH, Gregson CL, Harvey NC, Grundberg E, Adams DaJ, Lelliott CJ, Hinds DA, Ackert-Bicknell CL, Hsu Y-H, Maurano MT, Croucher PI, Williams GR, Bassett JHD, Evans DM, Richards JB. An atlas of genetic influences on osteoporosis in humans and mice. Nat. Genet. 2019 Feb;51:258-266. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-018-0302-x