Prof. Jan Veldink’s overarching aim is to understand the genetic causes of ALS and related diseases, and to uncover how a single mutation can lead to diverse clinical outcomes. As a clinician with a strong publication record in large-scale genetic, bioinformatic case-control studies, he is now exploring a shift towards a re-engineered, large-scale family-based design in ALS genetics.
Since 2016, Prof. Veldink has been leading an ambitious international whole-genome sequencing (WGS) project in ALS, known as Project MinE. This initiative involves coordinating a complex international consortium consisting of principal investigators from 23 countries. To date, the project has successfully completed WGS on over 15,000 samples and has harmonized these data with the UK Biobank.