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Call for papers - Epistasis

Guest Editors:
Shefali Setia-Verma, PhD, University of Pennsylvania, USA
Jianbing Yan, PhD, Huazhong Agricultural University, China

Submission Status: Open   |   Submission Deadline: 21 May 2025


Genome Biology is calling for submissions to our Collection on epistatic interactions shaping complex traits. 

Meet the Guest Editors

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Shefali Setia-Verma, PhD, University of Pennsylvania, USA

Dr Setia-Verma is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on linking phenotypes in women's health to genomics, utilizing large-scale, long-term studies to understand the genetic underpinnings of disease predispositions and outcomes. Dr Setia-Verma is particularly intrigued by the field of epistasis, exploring how gene interactions influence health and disease. She aims to revolutionize healthcare by developing models that can diagnose and treat diseases proactively. She is dedicated to advancing scientific knowledge and improving health outcomes through innovative research methodologies.

Jianbing Yan, PhD, Huazhong Agricultural University, China

Dr Jianbing Yan is a Professor at Huazhong Agricultural University, China. His research focuses on genomic and genetic studies of maize complex quantitative traits. Dr Yan pays particular attention to the study of epistasis in plants, trying to understand the impact of epistasis on heterosis and complex traits such as yield. His research interest is to use the innovative knowledge and techniques to clone key genes, reveal underlying mechanisms and ultimately enhance the genetic improvement of crops. 

About the Collection

Genome Biology is calling for submissions to our Collection on epistatic effects.

Epistasis plays a crucial role in shaping the genetic architecture of complex traits. Understanding how gene interactions influence these traits enables more accurate genetic mapping and it enhances our grasp of genetic networks, evolutionary dynamics, and the precision of genomic predictions in personalized medicine. Additionally, research on epistasis informs synthetic biology and genetic engineering by clarifying how gene interactions affect system behavior.

This collection welcomes submissions on:

  • Genome-wide detection of epistatic interactions
  • Epistasis in complex diseases
  • Methodological advancements in epistasis analysis
  • Integrative approaches for studying gene-gene interactions


Image credit: © BillionPhotos.com / Stock.adobe.com

  1. Epistasis refers to changes in the effect on phenotype of a unit of genetic information, such as a single nucleotide polymorphism or a gene, dependent on the context of other genetic units. Such interactions a...

    Authors: Marleen Balvert, Johnathan Cooper-Knock, Julian Stamp, Ross P. Byrne, Soufiane Mourragui, Juami van Gils, Stefania Benonisdottir, Johannes Schlüter, Kevin Kenna, Sanne Abeln, Alfredo Iacoangeli, Joséphine T. Daub, Brian L. Browning, Gizem Taş, Jiajing Hu, Yan Wang…
    Citation: Genome Biology 2024 25:296
    Content type: Review Published on:

    The Author Correction to this article has been published in Genome Biology 2025 26:12

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of original Research, Method, Short Report, Review, and Database article types. Before submitting your manuscript, please ensure you have read our submission guidelines.

Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Epistasis" from the dropdown menu.

All articles submitted to Collections are peer reviewed in line with the journal’s standard peer review policy and are subject to all of the journal’s standard editorial and publishing policies. This includes the journal’s policy on competing interests. 

The Guest Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Guest Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editor or Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.