Analytic & Translational Genetics Unit (ATGU)

The Department of Medicine's Analytic & Translational Genetics Unit (ATGU) at Massachusetts General Hospital focuses on the interpretation of individual genome sequence data for both the discovery of the genetic underpinnings of human disease and for the development of paradigms by which individuals' genome sequence can be effectively integrated into clinical decision making.

The ATGU has a near term efforts in large-scale medical resequencing studies in human disease and pharmacogenetic response and will develop partnerships across the hospital to both identify new opportunities for the use of genetics in the clinic and to address the challenges of the rapidly approaching time when complete genome sequence is available to individual patients.

Mark J. Daly, PhD, the first Chief of ATGU, is an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School and a Senior Associate Member of the Broad Institute, where he is Co-Director of Medical and Population Genetics.

Mark Daly's laboratory focuses on computational approaches to understanding the genetics of disease and is specifically focused two major areas – extending insights gained from the many genes discovered in Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis to pursue the functional and clinical ramifications thereof and extending genetic studies to include thorough processing and analysis of next-generation sequencing in order to apply it to autism, ADHD and other psychiatric diseases as well as rare Mendelian diseases.