Identification of deep vein thrombosis causative factors (360G-Wellcome-211815_Z_18_Z)

Thrombosis is defined by the abnormal formation of a clot within a blood vessel. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a subset of venous thromboembolism (VTE), commonly occurs within the deep veins of the legs. A variety of genetic and acquired risk factors have increased the prevalence of DVT during the past decade. Due to its somewhat asymptomatic nature, DVT can lead to complications in untreated individuals. While some research has been done on DVT, the direct causes of the disease are still relatively unknown. The purpose of this project is to identify the factors causally associated with DVT which may not have been identified through observational epidemiology. I will use an advanced causal analysis technique in genetic epidemiology called Mendelian randomization (MR) to determine what causes DVT. My first aim is to investigate what causes DVT using a hypothesis-free MR analysis. To do this I will use MR-Base - a database containing compiled GWAS summary data. I will then focus in more detail on a known cause of DVT (high BMI) and investigate what might mediate this causal effect. It is anticipated that the findings made during this project be a starting point for a prophylaxis against the outlined disease.