Hello there, welcome to the Wright Lab! We are a human genetics research group at the University of Manitoba that uses genomics to understand the brain in health and disease.

We would like to understand why individuals affected by the same neurological disorder can experience differences in disease severity and onset. Insights obtained from these analyses can be used to guide future therapeutic approaches to improve disease management.

Genetic variants that alter the clinical expression of disease-causing mutations are known as genetic modifiers and can help explain differences in disease outcomes. For example, genetic variants in genes from DNA repair pathways influence age-of-onset for several neurological diseases.

We use large-scale bioinformatic analyses to inform functional genomic experiments. This includes using gene editing and human stem-cell-derived neural models to study genetic modifiers of neurological disorders.

Such findings can lead to a better understanding of human biology, the identification of therapeutic targets, and improved risk prediction models.

KEY PROJECTS

• Genetic modifiers of neurological disorders
• Genomics of DNA repair in the brain

Territory acknowledgement: Our research group is located on the original lands of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation. We respect the Treaties that were made on these territories, we acknowledge the harms and mistakes of the past, and we dedicate ourselves to moving forward in partnership with Indigenous communities in a spirit of reconciliation and collaboration.

We are primarily affiliated with the Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics at the University of Manitoba. Our lab is in the PrairieNeuro Research Centre at the Kleysen Institute for Advanced Medicine, Health Sciences Centre. We are also affiliated with the Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, as well as the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM, ENRRICH theme).