Professor David Van Heel

Profile

David Van Heel is a Professor of Genetics at Queen Mary University of London, Honorary Consultant Physician at Barts Health NHS Trust. He trained in clinical research with a Medical Research Council Clinical Training Fellowship and a Wellcome Trust Clinician Scientist Fellowship.

Prof. Van Heel's current research interests are population genomic medicine of British Bangladeshi and British Pakistani communities, with genetics, NHS health data and recall for further studies based on genotype/phenotype. David is the Chief Investigator for the Genes & Health longitudinal population study: www.genesandhealth.org

Prof. Van Heel is a member of the Medical Research Council Population and Systems Medicine Board (2016-2022), and was deputy Chief Clinical Information Officer for Barts Health NHS Trust (2013-2024).

Research

Publications

• Kerrebijn I, Bjornsdottir G, Arbabi K et al. (2026). The genetic architecture of fibromyalgia across 2.5 million individuals. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1038/s41591-026-04492-6

  
  

  QMRO: qmroHref
• Pietzner M, Williamson A, Hunt KA et al. (2026). Nanoparticle-enriched mass spectrometry proteomics in British South Asians identifies links between genetic variants, plasma protein levels and disease risk. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1038/s41588-026-02697-6

  
  

  QMRO: qmroHref
• Uluvar B, Williamson A, Kolnes KJ et al. (2026). Tissue origins of the plasma proteomic response to glucose ingestion in humans. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/s00125-026-06800-8

  
  

  QMRO: qmroHref
• Dayem Ullah AZM, Joby A, Thorn GJ et al. (publicationYear). Genetic and health determinants of cancer risk in Bangladeshi and Pakistani individuals in the UK. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-74415-z

  
  

  QMRO: qmroHref
• Brito Nunes C, Rukins V, Cisse AH et al. (publicationYear). Multi-ancestry, trans-generational GWAS meta-analysis of gestational diabetes and glycaemic traits during pregnancy reveals limited evidence of pregnancy-specific genetic effects. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-73509-y

  
  

  QMRO: qmroHref
• Lassen FH, Kalantzis G, Eoli A et al. (2026). Meta-analysis across six global biobanks identifies recessive coding associations with complex traits and diseases. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2026.04.005

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/handle/123456789/128831
• Demircan K, Carrasco-Zanini J, Williamson A et al. (2026). Data-driven prioritization of high-risk individuals for weight loss interventions. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1038/s41591-026-04353-2

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/handle/123456789/126560
• Stow D, Tsang RSM, Katzourou IK et al. (2026). Combining polygenic risk scores to understand genetic liability to physical-mental health multimorbidity in UK Biobank. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddag012

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/handle/123456789/127593
• Huerta-Chagoya A, Kim J, Mandla R et al. (2026). Multi-ancestry polygenic risk scores for the prediction of type 2 diabetes and complications in diverse ancestries. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1016/s2213-8587(25)00405-x

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/handle/123456789/128832
• Moolhuijsen LME, Zhu J, Mullin BH et al. (2026). Genomic analyses implicate hormonal and metabolic dysregulation in polycystic ovary syndrome. nameOfConference

  
  

  DOI: 10.1038/s41588-026-02543-9

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/handle/123456789/128833