Academic Profiles
Peter Kraft
Adjunct Faculty

Peter Kraft

Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology

Epidemiology

pkraft@hsph.harvard.edu

Other Positions

Faculty Affiliate in the Department of Biostatistics

Biostatistics

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Links

Overview

My research concentrates on the design and analysis of genetic association studies, with particular emphasis on studies linking variation in germline DNA to cancer risk. I have played a key role in multiple international consortia studying genetics and other exposures in relation to cancer risk over the last ten years: I have been a member of the statistical working group of the Breast and Prostate Cancer Cohort Consortium since its inception, and currently chair the BPC3 steering committee; I played a leading role in the design and analysis of GWAS of breast, prostate and pancreatic cancers as part of the NCI's Cancer Genetic Markers of Susceptibility and PanScan projects; and I chair the Analytic Working Group for the NCI's "post-GWAS" GAME-ON consortium, which aims to better understand the biological mechanisms underlying GWAS-identified cancer risk markers at five cancer sites (including breast and lung) and their public health implications.

I am also the contact PI for the epidemiology project of the breast cancer arm of GAME-ON, which focuses on gene-environment interactions and risk prediction. I have been the primary statistical geneticist for the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) and Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS) for over ten years, and oversee the genotype databases for both studies, including genome-wide association data on over 20,000 subjects. I have collaborated on numerous analyses in the NHS and HPFS examining associations between genetic markers, behaviors (including diet and smoking), and risk of complex diseases. I have also collaborated with NHS investigators on the analyses of metabolite profiles in a case-control study of pancreatic cancer.

My current methodological research focuses on 1) efficient and interpretable "gene x environment interaction" analyses, 2) genetic risk prediction using common and rare genetic variation, biomarkers (including metabolites), and clinical and environmental risk factors, and 3) methods linking low-frequency variation, emerging functional annotation, and risk of complex disease.

Bibliography

Publisher Correction: Understanding the genetic complexity of puberty timing across the allele frequency spectrum.

Grant SFA, Gudnason V, Hayward C, Kolcic I, Kraft P, Lawlor DA, Martin NG, Nøhr EA, Pedersen NL, Pennell CE, Ridker PM, Robino A, Snieder H, Sovio U, Spector TD, Stöckl D, Sudlow C, Timpson NJ, Toniolo D, Uitterlinden A, Ulivi S, Völzke H, Wareham NJ, Widen E, Wilson JF, Pharoah PDP, Li L, Easton DF, Njølstad PR, Sulem P, Murabito JM, Murray A, Manousaki D, Juul A, Erikstrup C, Stefansson K, Horikoshi M, Chen Z, Farooqi IS, Pitteloud N, Johansson S, Day FR, Perry JRB, Ong KK, Kentistou KA, Kaisinger LR, Stankovic S, Vaudel M, Mendes de Oliveira E, Messina A, Walters RG, Liu X, Busch AS, Helgason H, Thompson DJ, Santoni F, Petricek KM, Zouaghi Y, Huang-Doran I, Gudbjartsson DF, Bratland E, Lin K, Gardner EJ, Zhao Y, Jia RY, Terao C, Riggan MJ, Bolla MK, Yazdanpanah M, Yazdanpanah N, Bradfield JP, Broer L, Campbell A, Chasman DI, Cousminer DL, Franceschini N, Franke LH, Girotto G, He C, Järvelin MR, Joshi PK, Kamatani Y, Karlsson R, Luan J, Lunetta KL, Mägi R, Mangino M, Medland SE, Meisinger C, Noordam R, Nutile T, Concas MP, Polašek O, Porcu E, Ring SM, Sala C, Smith AV, Tanaka T, van der Most PJ, Vitart V, Wang CA, Willemsen G, Zygmunt M, Ahearn TU, Andrulis IL, Anton-Culver H, Antoniou AC, Auer PL, Barnes CLK, Beckmann MW, Berrington de Gonzalez A, Bogdanova NV, Bojesen SE, Brenner H, Buring JE, Canzian F, Chang-Claude J, Couch FJ, Cox A, Crisponi L, Czene K, Daly MB, Demerath EW, Dennis J, Devilee P, De Vivo I, Dörk T, Dunning AM, Dwek M, Eriksson JG, Fasching PA, Fernandez-Rhodes L, Ferreli L, Fletcher O, Gago-Dominguez M, García-Closas M, García-Sáenz JA, González-Neira A, Grallert H, Guénel P, Haiman CA, Hall P, Hamann U, Hakonarson H, Hart RJ, Hickey M, Hooning MJ, Hoppe R, Hopper JL, Hottenga JJ, Hu FB, Huebner H, Hunter DJ, Jernström H, John EM, Karasik D, Khusnutdinova EK, Kristensen VN, Lacey JV, Lambrechts D, Launer LJ, Lind PA, Lindblom A, Magnusson PKE, Mannermaa A, McCarthy MI, Meitinger T, Menni C, Michailidou K, Millwood IY, Milne RL, Montgomery GW, Nevanlinna H, Nolte IM, Nyholt DR, Obi N, O'Brien KM, Offit K, Oldehinkel AJ, Ostrowski SR, Palotie A, Pedersen OB, Peters A, Pianigiani G, Plaseska-Karanfilska D, Pouta A, Pozarickij A, Radice P, Rennert G, Rosendaal FR, Ruggiero D, Saloustros E, Sandler DP, Schipf S, Schmidt CO, Schmidt MK, Small K, Spedicati B, Stampfer M, Stone J, Tamimi RM, Teras LR, Tikkanen E, Turman C, Vachon CM, Wang Q, Winqvist R, Wolk A, Zemel BS, Zheng W, van Dijk KW, Alizadeh BZ, Bandinelli S, Boerwinkle E, Boomsma DI, Ciullo M, Chenevix-Trench G, Cucca F, Esko T, Gieger C.

Nat Genet. 2024 Jul 09. PMID: 38982295

Understanding the genetic complexity of puberty timing across the allele frequency spectrum.

Petricek KM, Zouaghi Y, Huang-Doran I, Gudbjartsson DF, Bratland E, Lin K, Gardner EJ, Zhao Y, Jia RY, Terao C, Riggan MJ, Bolla MK, Yazdanpanah M, Yazdanpanah N, Bradfield JP, Broer L, Campbell A, Chasman DI, Cousminer DL, Franceschini N, Franke LH, Girotto G, He C, Järvelin MR, Joshi PK, Kamatani Y, Karlsson R, Luan J, Lunetta KL, Mägi R, Mangino M, Medland SE, Meisinger C, Noordam R, Nutile T, Concas MP, Polašek O, Porcu E, Ring SM, Sala C, Smith AV, Tanaka T, van der Most PJ, Vitart V, Wang CA, Willemsen G, Zygmunt M, Ahearn TU, Andrulis IL, Anton-Culver H, Antoniou AC, Auer PL, Barnes CLK, Beckmann MW, Berrington de Gonzalez A, Bogdanova NV, Bojesen SE, Brenner H, Buring JE, Canzian F, Chang-Claude J, Couch FJ, Cox A, Crisponi L, Czene K, Daly MB, Demerath EW, Dennis J, Devilee P, De Vivo I, Dörk T, Dunning AM, Dwek M, Eriksson JG, Fasching PA, Fernandez-Rhodes L, Ferreli L, Fletcher O, Gago-Dominguez M, García-Closas M, García-Sáenz JA, González-Neira A, Grallert H, Guénel P, Haiman CA, Hall P, Hamann U, Hakonarson H, Hart RJ, Hickey M, Hooning MJ, Hoppe R, Hopper JL, Hottenga JJ, Hu FB, Huebner H, Hunter DJ, Jernström H, John EM, Karasik D, Khusnutdinova EK, Kristensen VN, Lacey JV, Lambrechts D, Launer LJ, Lind PA, Lindblom A, Magnusson PKE, Mannermaa A, McCarthy MI, Meitinger T, Menni C, Michailidou K, Millwood IY, Milne RL, Montgomery GW, Nevanlinna H, Nolte IM, Nyholt DR, Obi N, O'Brien KM, Offit K, Oldehinkel AJ, Ostrowski SR, Palotie A, Pedersen OB, Peters A, Pianigiani G, Plaseska-Karanfilska D, Pouta A, Pozarickij A, Radice P, Rennert G, Rosendaal FR, Ruggiero D, Saloustros E, Sandler DP, Schipf S, Schmidt CO, Schmidt MK, Small K, Spedicati B, Stampfer M, Stone J, Tamimi RM, Teras LR, Tikkanen E, Turman C, Vachon CM, Wang Q, Winqvist R, Wolk A, Zemel BS, Zheng W, van Dijk KW, Alizadeh BZ, Bandinelli S, Boerwinkle E, Boomsma DI, Ciullo M, Chenevix-Trench G, Cucca F, Esko T, Gieger C, Grant SFA, Gudnason V, Hayward C, Kolcic I, Kraft P, Lawlor DA, Martin NG, Nøhr EA, Pedersen NL, Pennell CE, Ridker PM, Robino A, Snieder H, Sovio U, Spector TD, Stöckl D, Sudlow C, Timpson NJ, Toniolo D, Uitterlinden A, Ulivi S, Völzke H, Wareham NJ, Widen E, Wilson JF, Pharoah PDP, Li L, Easton DF, Njølstad PR, Sulem P, Murabito JM, Murray A, Manousaki D, Juul A, Erikstrup C, Stefansson K, Horikoshi M, Chen Z, Farooqi IS, Pitteloud N, Johansson S, Day FR, Perry JRB, Ong KK, Kentistou KA, Kaisinger LR, Stankovic S, Vaudel M, Mendes de Oliveira E, Messina A, Walters RG, Liu X, Busch AS, Helgason H, Thompson DJ, Santoni F.

Nat Genet. 2024 Jul. 56(7):1397-1411. PMID: 38951643

Multi-ancestry polygenic risk scores for venous thromboembolism.

Jee YH, Thibord F, Dominguez A, Sept C, Boulier K, Venkateswaran V, Ding Y, Cherlin T, Verma SS, Faro VL, Bartz TM, Boland A, Brody JA, Deleuze JF, Emmerich J, Germain M, Johnson AD, Kooperberg C, Morange PE, Pankratz N, Psaty BM, Reiner AP, Smadja DM, Sitlani CM, Suchon P, Tang W, Trégouët DA, Zöllner S, Pasaniuc B, Damrauer SM, Sanna S, Snieder H, Kabrhel C, Smith NL, Kraft P.

Hum Mol Genet. 2024 Jun 16. PMID: 38879759

Genome-wide analysis to assess if heavy alcohol consumption modifies the association between SNPs and pancreatic cancer risk.

Ni Z, Kundu P, McKean DF, Wheeler W, Albanes D, Andreotti G, Antwi SO, Arslan AA, Bamlet WR, Beane Freeman LE, Berndt SI, Bracci PM, Brennan P, Buring JE, Chanock SJ, Gallinger S, Gaziano JM, Giles GG, Giovannucci EL, Goggins MG, Goodman PJ, Haiman CA, Hassan MM, Holly EA, Hung RJ, Katzke V, Kooperberg C, Kraft P, Le Marchand L, Li D, McCullough ML, Milne RL, Moore SC, Neale RE, Oberg AL, Patel AV, Peters U, Rabe KG, Risch HA, Shu XO, Smith Byrne K, Visvanathan K, Wactawski-Wende J, White E, Wolpin BM, Yu H, Zeleniuch-Jacquotte A, Zheng W, Zhong J, Amundadottir LT, Stolzenberg-Solomon RZ, Klein AP.

Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2024 Jun 13. PMID: 38869494

Cancer Diagnoses After Recent Weight Loss.

Wang QL, Babic A, Rosenthal MH, Lee AA, Zhang Y, Zhang X, Song M, Rezende LFM, Lee DH, Biller L, Ng K, Giannakis M, Chan AT, Meyerhardt JA, Fuchs CS, Eliassen AH, Birmann BM, Stampfer MJ, Giovannucci EL, Kraft P, Nowak JA, Yuan C, Wolpin BM.

JAMA. 2024 01 23. 331(4):318-328. PMID: 38261044

Multi-ancestry polygenic risk scores for venous thromboembolism.

Jee YH, Thibord F, Dominguez A, Sept C, Boulier K, Venkateswaran V, Ding Y, Cherlin T, Verma SS, Faro VL, Bartz TM, Boland A, Brody JA, Deleuze JF, Emmerich J, Germain M, Johnson AD, Kooperberg C, Morange PE, Pankratz N, Psaty BM, Reiner AP, Smadja DM, Sitlani CM, Suchon P, Tang W, Trégouët DA, Zöllner S, Pasaniuc B, Damrauer SM, Sanna S, Snieder H, Kabrhel C, Smith NL, Kraft P.

medRxiv. 2024 Jan 10. PMID: 38260294

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