Preprint: LT-FGRS R package unifies family-based genetic liability estimation at population scale

Researchers have posted a preprint to bioRxiv describing LT-FGRS, an R package designed to handle population-scale pedigrees and implement several established methods for estimating per-individual genetic liability to traits and disorders from family data. The package is intended to standardise and simplify workflows that are currently distributed across separate, sometimes incompatible software implementations.

Benchmarking was carried out using large-scale Nordic registry data — datasets that link population-wide health records to family pedigrees spanning multiple generations. The authors report that LT-FGRS reproduces estimates from existing implementations at computationally manageable cost, making it feasible to apply family-based liability modelling to biobank-scale cohorts.

Family-based genetic liability estimates have established uses in genetic epidemiology: they are applied to describe the genetic architecture of complex traits, to boost statistical power in gene-mapping studies, and to improve polygenic risk prediction. By providing a unified interface, LT-FGRS aims to reduce the analytical friction that currently limits wider adoption of these methods. This work is a preprint and has not yet been peer-reviewed. The package is directly relevant to the pedigree-modelling focus of the Evagene platform.