Lu Yi
About me
I am a Principal Researcher at Karolinska Institutet (KI), Sweden. I lead a research group conducting psychiatric genetics research, especially in major depressive disorder (MDD). I am directing the KI Psychiatric Genomics Institute and co-leading the Nordic Tryggve consortium.
My research involves integrating large-scale genomic data and nationwide electronic healthcare records to investigate depression subtypes, as a way to reduce the substantial heterogeneity in this disorder. My long-term research vision is to promote targeted drug development and treatment optimization for MDD patient subgroups to achieve precision psychiatry.
My research excellence has been recognised nationally and internationally, for which I have been awarded many prestigious grants including a recent award of €1.5 million from European Research Council. I am also the Sweden PI on major funding from US-NIH and EU-Horizon2020.
Research
1. Genetics of major depressive disorder and its subtypes
MDD is heterogeneous: however, the extent to which genetic factors distinguish patient subgroups (genetic heterogeneity) remains uncertain. We
therefore seek evidence for genetic heterogeneity in MDD by studying patient subgroups. In particular, we focus on patients who are most severely ill ("extreme MDD"). I am also a key analyst in the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium MDD working group.
2. Trans-Nordic collaboration of “register genomics” in psychiatry
I have co-led the Nordic Tryggve consortium since 2018 (Tryggve: trans-Nordic collaboration on register and genomics research in psychiatry). The Tryggve consortium has enabled integration of genetics in population-based psychiatric studies in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. We have achieved comprehensive harmonization of software, data processing pipelines, and register phenotype and genomic data using singularity containers. Altogether, these allow us to analyze Nordic register and genomic data in a unified scheme where we ask empirical questions and get rapid, secure, and reproducible answers.
3. Genetic risk factors of other complex disorders
I led and contributed to many genome-wide association studies on complex traits and diseases of medical importance, including cancers, eye diseases, and allergic diseases. These work have been published in leading genetic journals, including three in Nature Genetics.
*My research are proudly supported by:*
KI Consolidator Grant 2023, *PI.* 2024-2028
SfoEpi Consolidator Grant 2023, *PI.* 2023-2026 (withdrawn upon the recipient of the KI consolidator grant)
European Research Council Starting Grant 2021, *PI.* 2022-2027.
KI Faculty-funded career position as *Senior Researcher.* 2022-2024.
Swedish Research Council. *PI.* 2022-2026.
European Union's Horizon 2020. Grant No 964874. *Sub-award PI*. 2021-2025.
NIH/NIMH R01 MH123724. *Co-PI/Sub-award PI*. 2020-2025.
KI Faculty-funded career position as *Assistant Professor.* 2018-2022.
StratNeuro Start Up Award, KI Neuroscience, 2019-2020.
2018 NARSAD Young Investigator Award, Brain &- Behavior Research Foundation, USA. 2019-2021.
KI Research Foundation. 2018-2019.
Assistant professor, funded by the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (rank #1). 2018-2022
NHMRC Early Career Fellowship (CJ Martin - Overseas Biomedical Fellowship). Australian Government. 2015-2018
Australian delegate of early career researcher at the 64th Nobel Laureates Meeting (Physiology or Medicine). Australian Academy of Science 2014
Teaching
SUPERVISION:
Research specialist Tong Gong
Postdoc: Shengxin Liu, Thi Thuy Dung Nguyen, Joelle Pasman.
PhD student Ying Xiong. "Genetic epidemiology of treatment-resistant depression", since 2021. As main supervisor.
PhD student Arvid Harder. "Genomics and treatment outcomes of major depressive disorder subtypes", since 2023. As main supervisor.
*Former students*
PhD student Thi Thuy Dung Nguyen. “Aetiology and outcomes in psychiatric disorders”, As main supervisor. (Defended thesis 2023.12.15)
PhD student Jet Termorshuizen. “Genetic and environmental factors influencing the course and outcome of eating disorder”, As co-supervisor. (Defended thesis 2023.12.08)
PhD student Ashley Thompson. “Prediction of negative life outcomes in children with ADHD”. As co-supervisor. (Defended thesis 2022.02.18)
Bachelor student Alison Baxley, Bachelor Thesis in Medical Science with a Major in Biomedicine, Karolinska Institutet. “Polygenic risk scores for
schizophrenia and childhood accidents, injury and self-harm”. Spring 2017.
TEACHING:
Lecturer: "Psychiatric Genetics" within the Research School of Psychiatry (Forskarskolan inom klinisk psykiatri), Karolinska Institutet and Region
Stockholm. Feb 6-10, 2023.
Course: “Molecular genetic psychiatry”. Clinical Psychology program, Karolinska Institutet. 2017, 2018, 2019.
Course: “Molecular epidemiology”. Epidemiology program, Karolinska Institutet. 2018, 2020.
Summer school: “GWAS and imputation”, Brain Imaging Genetics Summer School, Nijmegen, the Netherlands. 2018.
Articles
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Article: JAMA PSYCHIATRY. 2024
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Article: JAMA PSYCHIATRY. 2024;81(8):807-816
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Article: NATURE COMMUNICATIONS. 2024;15(1):5064
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Article: ANNALS OF CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL NEUROLOGY. 2024;11(6):1393-1404
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Article: JAMA PSYCHIATRY. 2024;81(6):579-585
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Article: NATURE GENETICS. 2024;56(5):792-808
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Article: INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES. 2024;:izae027
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Article: MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY. 2024;:1-10
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Article: BIOINFORMATICS ADVANCES. 2024;4(1):vbae067
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Article: NAT CARDIOVASC RES. 2024;3(6):754-769
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Article: MOLECULAR GENETICS & GENOMIC MEDICINE. 2023;11(12):e2255
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Article: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY. 2023;180(12):884-895
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Article: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY. 2023;180(10):714-722
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Article: TRANSLATIONAL PSYCHIATRY. 2023;13(1):301
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Article: NEUROLOGY. 2023;101(5):e522-e532
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Article: AGING CELL. 2023;22(8):e13868
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Article: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY. 2023;38(7):809-819
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Article: ECLINICALMEDICINE. 2023;61:102063
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Article: LANCET REGIONAL HEALTH-EUROPE. 2023;29:100621
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Article: ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR. 2023;52(3):1213-1228
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Article: TRANSLATIONAL PSYCHIATRY. 2023;13(1):15
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Article: JOURNAL OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY. 2022;63(12):1513-1522
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Article: MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY. 2022;27(11):4453-4463
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Article: ELIFE. 2022;11:e80143
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Article: GENERAL HOSPITAL PSYCHIATRY. 2022;77:21-28
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Article: JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRY. 2022;61(7):934-945
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Article: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY. 2022;51(3):E108-E122
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Article: MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY. 2022;27(5):2439-2447
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Article: MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY. 2022;27(5):2514-2521
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Article: TRANSLATIONAL PSYCHIATRY. 2022;12(1):152
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Article: TRANSLATIONAL PSYCHIATRY. 2022;12(1):124
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Article: MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY. 2022;27(3):1667-1675
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Article: PLOS ONE. 2022;17(8):e0273116
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Article: MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS JOURNAL. 2021;27(13):2077-2084
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Article: HUMAN MOLECULAR GENETICS. 2021;30(19):1894-1905
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Article: AGING CELL. 2021;20(9):e13459
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Article: CANCER EPIDEMIOLOGY BIOMARKERS & PREVENTION. 2021;30(9):1669-1680
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Article: MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY. 2021;26(8):4487-4495
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Article: TRANSLATIONAL PSYCHIATRY. 2021;11(1):413
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Article: MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY. 2021;26(6):2429-2439
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Article: TRANSLATIONAL PSYCHIATRY. 2021;11(1):163
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Article: NATURE COMMUNICATIONS. 2020;11(1):4637
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Article: MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY. 2020;25(8):1809-1821
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Article: PLOS GENETICS. 2020;16(6):e1008725
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Article: HUMAN MOLECULAR GENETICS. 2019;28(22):3853-3865
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Article: PSYCHOSOMATIC MEDICINE. 2019;81(9):799-807
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Article: BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. 2019;86(8):577-586
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Article: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL GENETICS PART B-NEUROPSYCHIATRIC GENETICS. 2019;180(6):341-350
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Article: EUROPEAN RESPIRATORY JOURNAL. 2019;53(5):1802142
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Article: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN GENETICS. 2019;104(4):665-684
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Journal article: MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY. 2019;24(4):484-490
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Article: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY. 2019;34(3):279-300
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Article: JOURNAL OF ALLERGY AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY. 2019;143(2):691-699
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Article: EUROPEAN CHILD & ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRY. 2018;27(9):1105-1121
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Article: JOURNAL OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY. 2018;59(8):908-916
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Article: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL GENETICS PART B-NEUROPSYCHIATRIC GENETICS. 2018;177(4):416-425
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Article: HUMAN MOLECULAR GENETICS. 2018;27(10):1809-1818
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Article: PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDICINE. 2018;48(7):1201-1208
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Article: SCIENTIFIC REPORTS. 2018;8(1):1508
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Article: NATURE GENETICS. 2017;49(12):1752-1757
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Article: JAMA PSYCHIATRY. 2017;74(8):815-822
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Article: MOLECULAR GENETICS AND GENOMICS. 2017;292(2):307-324
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Article: GENETIC EPIDEMIOLOGY. 2016;40(8):756-766
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Article: SCIENTIFIC REPORTS. 2016;6:37924
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Article: BMC GENOMICS. 2016;17(1):939
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Article: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY. 2016;45(5):1619-1630
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Article: HUMAN GENETICS. 2016;135(7):741-756
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Article: INVESTIGATIVE OPHTHALMOLOGY & VISUAL SCIENCE. 2016;57(7):3129-3137
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Article: NATURE COMMUNICATIONS. 2016;7:11008
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Article: ONCOTARGET. 2016;7(6):6353-6368
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Article: GENETIC EPIDEMIOLOGY. 2016;40(1):66-72
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Article: CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH. 2015;21(23):5264-5276
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Article: HUMAN MOLECULAR GENETICS. 2015;24(20):5955-5964
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Article: SCHIZOPHRENIA RESEARCH. 2015;164(1-3):47-52
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Article: HUMAN GENETICS. 2015;134(2):131-146
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Article: HUMAN MOLECULAR GENETICS. 2014;23(22):6112-6118
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Article: PSYCHOSOMATIC MEDICINE. 2014;76(9):732-738
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Article: NATURE COMMUNICATIONS. 2014;5:4883
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Article: JNCI-JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE. 2014;106(7):dju149
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Article: HUMAN MOLECULAR GENETICS. 2014;23(12):3343-3348
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Article: HUMAN GENETICS. 2014;133(5):481-497
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Article: GYNECOLOGIC ONCOLOGY. 2013;131(1):8-14
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Article: NATURE GENETICS. 2013;45(4):371-384
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Article: NATURE GENETICS. 2013;45(2):155-163
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Article: TWIN RESEARCH AND HUMAN GENETICS. 2012;15(5):615-623
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Article: HUMAN GENETICS. 2012;131(9):1467-1480
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Article: CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH. 2011;17(16):5490-5500
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Article: CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH. 2011;17(11):3742-3750
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Article: PLOS ONE. 2011;6(9):e24987
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Article: PLOS GENETICS. 2010;6(5):e1000947
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All other publications
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Review: BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. 2024;:S0006-3223(24)00003-9
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Review: PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDICINE. 2021;51(13):2217-2230
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Published conference paper: JAMA PSYCHIATRY. 2019;76(3):280-289
Grants
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National Institutes of Health6 May 2024 - 28 February 2029
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Swedish Research Council for Health Working Life and Welfare1 January 2024 - 31 December 2026
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European Research Council1 October 2022 - 30 September 2027
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Swedish Research Council1 January 2022 - 31 December 2025
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the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme1 June 2021 - 31 December 2025
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National Institutes of Health10 June 2020 - 31 March 2025