Summary
Meffil is an R package developed to address computational challenges in processing large DNA methylation datasets from Illumina BeadChip microarrays. The software implements an optimized functional normalization algorithm that reduces memory demands without compromising speed, and incorporates fixed and random effects modelling with automated parameter estimation to minimise technical variation. The package supports distributed analysis without sharing individual-level data, facilitating meta-analyses of epigenome-wide association studies across physically separate research sites.
UK applicability
This software tool could support UK-based epigenetic research infrastructure and multi-site cohort studies (such as those within UK Biobank or similar longitudinal cohorts) by enabling efficient, standardized analysis of methylation data whilst preserving participant privacy through distributed processing methods.
Key measures
Computational memory usage, running time, technical variation in DNA methylation levels, false positive rates, statistical power in epigenome-wide association studies
Outcomes reported
The study reports the development and validation of meffil, an R package for quality control, normalization, and epigenome-wide association studies of large-scale DNA methylation datasets from Illumina BeadChip microarrays. The package reduces computational memory requirements and technical variation whilst maintaining analytical power.
Topic tags
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