Genetic and genomic medicine explores how our DNA shapes health, disease risk, and responses to treatment. This rapidly evolving field moves beyond simple family trees to examine the complex molecular instructions that guide every cell in the human body. By decoding these biological blueprints, researchers aim to unlock personalized therapies that target the root causes of illness rather than just treating symptoms.

On Gist.Science, we bring the latest discoveries directly from medRxiv, the leading preprint server for health sciences. We process every new submission in this category as it arrives, transforming dense academic findings into both detailed technical breakdowns and clear, plain-language summaries. This ensures that groundbreaking research is accessible to clinicians, scientists, and curious readers alike without the usual barriers of jargon.

Below are the most recent papers in genetic and genomic medicine, organized for your review.

📄 genetic and genomic medicine

Genetic Epidemiological Pipeline Identifies Candidate Markers of Clozapine-Induced Metabolic Dysfunction Revealing Potential Avenues for Precision Clozapine Prescription

This study employs a genetic epidemiological pipeline to identify candidate biomarkers and establish causal links between clozapine metabolism and metabolic dysfunction, offering a foundation for predictive, precision medicine approaches to mitigate clozapine-induced metabolic risks.

Shepherd, R. J., Suppiah, V., Mulugeta, A., Clark, S. R., Hypponen, E., Stacey, D.2026-03-19
📄 genetic and genomic medicine

Comprehensive detection of genetic and epigenetic alterations in cancer using long reads with TumorLens

TumorLens is a unified long-read sequencing framework that simultaneously detects diverse genetic and epigenetic alterations, including SNVs, structural variants, copy-number changes, and methylation patterns, to enable comprehensive tumor profiling and advance precision oncology.

Paulin, L. F., Shi, M., Fu, Y., Zheng, X., Au-Yeung, G., Bowtell, D., Chen, J., Liang, Y., Hammer, C., Sedlazeck, F. J.2026-03-19
📄 genetic and genomic medicine

Trio-based GWAS reveals novel loci associated with different forms of isolated cleft lip

This study utilizes a multi-ancestry trio-based whole-genome sequencing approach to identify four genome-wide significant loci, including novel subtype-specific associations for alveolar involvement and left-sidedness, thereby demonstrating the value of granular phenotypic characterization in uncovering distinct genetic etiologies within isolated cleft lip.

Herrick, N., Erdogan-Yildirim, Z., Lee, M. K., Curtis, S. W., Berke, S., Brewer, G., McHenry, T., El Sergani, A. M., And (…)2026-03-17
📄 genetic and genomic medicine

Clustering of major depressive disorder genetic instruments identifies distinct and directionally opposing effects on cardiometabolic risk

This study utilizes clustered Mendelian randomization to reveal that major depressive disorder comprises distinct genetic subtypes with opposing causal effects on type 2 diabetes and cardiometabolic health, where one cluster linked to atypical symptoms increases metabolic risk while another linked to melancholic symptoms decreases it.

Handley, D., Bala, R., Casanova, F., Gillett, A. C., Lo, C. W. H., Singh, M., Barroso, I., Bowden, J., Lewis, C., Tyrrel (…)2026-03-17
📄 genetic and genomic medicine

Associations of endogenous and exogenous hormonal exposures and cardiovascular disease in women - A FinnGen study

In a study of over 180,000 Finnish women, genetic predisposition to a later natural menopause and longer reproductive span was not found to be protective against cardiovascular disease, whereas the use of exogenous hormones (menopausal hormone therapy and systemic contraceptives) was associated with a reduced long-term risk of stroke and coronary heart disease.

Korhonen, T.-M., Berrandou, T.-E., Joensuu, L., FinnGen,, Laukkanen, J. A., Sillanpaa, E., Bouatia-Naji, N., Laakkonen (…)2026-03-14
📄 genetic and genomic medicine

Recent positive selection implicates IP6K3 and MAPT as metabolically relevant loci in South Asians

By integrating signatures of recent positive selection with cross-trait genetic association data across 13 South Asian populations, this study identifies IP6K3 and MAPT as metabolically relevant loci for type 2 diabetes and establishes a scalable framework for genomic discovery in underrepresented groups without relying on ancestry-matched molecular resources.

Pennarun, E., Banfalvi, B., Li, Y., Bui, V., Hodgson, S., Bigossi, M., Arnab, S., Naimah, T., Rison, S., Stow, D., Baska (…)2026-03-13
📄 genetic and genomic medicine

Application of deep learning and explainable AI-supported medical decision-making for facial phenotyping in genetic syndromes

This study found that while both AI predictions and explainable AI (XAI) saliency maps improved diagnostic accuracy when the AI was correct, medical geneticists relied more heavily on the raw prediction probabilities than on XAI explanations, which were viewed less favorably and failed to significantly enhance decision-making integration.

Sumer, O., Huber, T., Cheng, J., Duong, D., Ledgister Hanchard, S. E., Conati, C., Andre, E., Solomon, B. D., Waikel, R. (…)2026-03-12
📄 genetic and genomic medicine

Genetically proxied inhibition of angiotensinogen synthesis is associated with lower cardiovascular risk

Human genetic evidence demonstrates that inhibiting hepatic angiotensinogen synthesis lowers blood pressure and significantly reduces the risk of coronary artery disease, stroke, and heart failure without raising major safety concerns, thereby supporting the potential of angiotensinogen inhibitors as effective cardiovascular therapies.

Zangas, P., Omarov, M., Zhang, L., Georgakis, M. K.2026-03-09