Brenda Udosen
PhD Student
Institution
University of Leicester, United Kingdom
Bio
Brenda Udosen is a third-year PhD researcher and Wellcome Trust scholar, focusing on genetic epidemiology and the application of polygenic risk scores (PRS) to cardiometabolic traits in African populations. My doctoral work investigates how cutting-edge statistical genetics methods can be adapted and validated to improve the prediction of blood pressure traits.
An interdisciplinary researcher, my expertise bridges genomic data analysis, statistical modelling, and multi-cohort data integration, with a particular focus on PRS development and validation in African populations. Her recent work includes designing and implementing multi-trait analysis of GWAS (MTAG) pipelines for blood pressure traits, assessing heritability and genetic correlations, and evaluating PRS performance across diverse African regional datasets, including East, West, South, and pan-African cohorts.
Motivated by the need to address the underrepresentation of African-ancestry populations in genomic research, I am committed to ensuring that advances in precision medicine are equitable and globally applicable. My research not only seeks to refine methodological innovations but also to uncover region-specific insights with potential public health applications.
Beyond my technical expertise, I am passionate about building capacity for genomic science in low- and middle-income countries. I actively engage in collaborations that support knowledge exchange, training, and the development of analytical pipelines tailored to African data, aiming to bridge innovation with impact through inclusive global health research.
Selected Publications
Udosen B, Soremekun O, Kamiza A, Machipisa T, Cheickna C, Omotuyi O, Soliman M, Wélé M, Nashiru O, Chikowore T, Fatumo S. Meta-analysis and multivariate GWAS analyses in 80,950 individuals of African ancestry identify novel variants associated with blood pressure traits. International journal of molecular sciences. 2023 Jan 21;24(3):2164.
Udosen B, Soremekun O, Ekenna C, Idowu Omotuyi O, Chikowore T, Nashiru O, Fatumo S. In-silico analysis reveals druggable single nucleotide polymorphisms in angiotensin 1 converting enzyme involved in the onset of blood pressure. BMC research notes. 2021 Dec 20;14(1):457.
Isewon I, Soremekun C, Adebiyi M, Adetunji C, Ogunleye AJ, Bajeh AO, Asani EO, Gbadamosi B, Soremekun O, Udosen B, Kintu C. Strengthening Bioinformatics and Genomics Analysis Skills in Africa for Attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals: Report of the 2nd Conference of the Nigerian Bioinformatics and Genomics Network.The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 2022 May 16;107(1):21.
Soremekun O, Karhunen V, He Y, Rajasundaram S, Liu B, Gkatzionis A, Soremekun C, Udosen B, Musa H, Silva S, Kintu C. Lipid traits and type 2 diabetes risk in African ancestry individuals: a Mendelian randomization study.EBioMedicine. 2022 Apr 1;78.