About

Anurag Verma, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine (Translational Medicine and Human Genetics) at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine. He serves as the Associate Director of Clinical Informatics and Genomics for Penn Medicine BioBank. His educational background includes a BS in Biotechnology from the University of Rajasthan, an MS in Bioinformatics from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and a PhD in Bioinformatics and Genomics from The Pennsylvania State University. His research focuses on genomics, computational biology, and the genetic architecture of complex traits, with significant contributions to understanding the genetic basis of diseases and traits, including COVID-19 severity, kidney comorbidities, and genetic variation across populations. He has been involved in large-scale genomic studies, including the VA Million Veteran Program, and has contributed to advancing precision medicine through genomics-enabled healthcare systems.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Genetics
• Biology
• Internal medicine
• Evolutionary biology
• Computational biology
• Computer Science
• Environmental health
• Virology
• Demography
• Pediatrics
• Clinical psychology
• Pathology
• Immunology
• Psychiatry
• Data science

Selected publications

• “Novel Approaches for Polymer‐Based Ocular Delivery for BCS Class II Drugs for Sustained Ocular Delivery”

  Macromolecular Symposia · 2026-05-14

  article

  ABSTRACT Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS) Class II drugs possess low solubility, which presents a significant challenge in ocular drug delivery by limiting the therapeutic efficacy and bioavailability of the drug. This review focuses on the application of polymer‐based approaches to enhance the solubility and delivery of these drugs to ocular tissues. Different drug delivery systems, such as polymeric nanoparticles, hydrogels, and micelles, are discussed with an emphasis on their roles in enhancing solubility, stability, and sustained drug release. The interaction between polymers and ocular tissues is analyzed to ensure safety and efficacy. Advancements in polymer engineering and formulation strategies are highlighted, showcasing their potential to overcome the complex anatomical and physiological barriers of the eye. This article highlights the transformative potential of polymer‐based technologies in addressing solubility challenges, enhancing drug retention, and enabling sustained and targeted ocular drug delivery.

  PublisherDOI

• Proteomic risk score for early prediction of kidney disease progression in individuals with APOL1 high-risk genotypes

  Nature Medicine · 2026-04-15

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Individuals of African ancestry carrying APOL1 (apolipoprotein L1) high-risk genotypes face a markedly increased risk of kidney failure, yet tools to identify those individuals likely to progress to chronic kidney disease are lacking. Here we profiled plasma proteomes of 851 Penn Medicine BioBank participants of African ancestry (285 males and 566 females) with APOL1 high-risk genotypes and preserved estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (≥60 ml min −1 1.73 m −2 ). Using elastic net Cox regression adjusted for age, sex, eGFR and albuminuria, we derived a nine-protein APOL1 Proteomic Risk Score (APRS) that predicts a composite outcome of ≥40% eGFR decline, kidney failure or death. APRS achieved a time-dependent area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (tAUC) of 86.5%, outperforming the Kidney Failure Risk Equation (66.1%) and polygenic risk scores, with 10-year event rates of 62.5% versus 3.3% across risk quintiles. External validation in Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities and UK Biobank cohorts confirmed robust accuracy (tAUC 82–85%) and consistent performance across demographic and clinical subgroups. Plasma levels of APRS component proteins correlated with kidney tissue fibrosis and tubular injury pathways, indicating strong biological plausibility. By enabling early and accurate prediction of disease progression in APOL1 high-risk individuals, APRS bridges the gap between genetic susceptibility and clinical translation. This scalable and biologically informed approach provides a precision medicine framework for early intervention and may accelerate development of APOL1-targeted therapies to reduce kidney disease disparities.

  PublisherDOI

• Adult-onset STING-associated vasculopathy

  Journal of Human Immunity · 2026-04-10

  articleOpen access

  Genetic contributions to systemic autoimmunity are often considered more significant in children than in adults. As such, genetic evaluation may be more frequently pursued in pediatric rheumatology patients. Motivated by the discovery of a STING-associated vasculopathy with onset in infancy (SAVI) mutation in a patient with adult-onset relapsing polychondritis and systemic lupus erythematosus, we hypothesized that STING gain-of-function mutations might underlie a broader spectrum of autoimmune disease in adults. We systematically screened 43,731 exomes from the Penn Medicine Biobank, revealing five additional unrelated adults with SAVI-associated STING gain-of-function mutations, including several patients with clinical features of SAVI, as well as asymptomatic individuals with type I IFN signatures. We propose the term adult-onset STING-associated vasculopathy (AO-SAVI) to describe these patients. Our findings challenge the conventional symptom-driven diagnostic paradigm, revealing that parallel molecular classification can uncover shared mechanisms and genetic etiologies across seemingly distinct diseases.

  PublisherDOI

• Pharmacokinetic Insights and Therapeutic Potential of Calcium Channel Blockers in Cardiovascular and Non-Cardiovascular Disorders

  Current Pharmaceutical Design · 2026-03-11

  article

  Calcium channel blockers (CCBs) regulate calcium ion transport across cell membranes and are central to the management of hypertension, angina, arrhythmias, and cerebrovascular disorders, with emerging roles in neurological and oncological diseases. Most CCBs undergo significant first-pass metabolism mediated by cytochrome P450, which affects their interindividual variability, dosage, and bioavailability. Recent research highlights the potential of T-type CCBs in cancer treatment and the use of nanocarriers to overcome their low bioavailability and rapid metabolism. Since the introduction of verapamil in the 1960s, newer drugs with improved selectivity and safety, such as cilnidipine and azelnidipine, have been developed. Despite their widespread use, challenges remain in maximizing long-term efficacy, minimizing side effects, and individualizing treatment. This review provides an updated overview of the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and therapeutic applications of dihydropyridine and non-dihydropyridine CCBs, while identifying research gaps and future directions to enhance their clinical utility. By integrating established pharmacological knowledge with recent advances, this study underscores the continued relevance of CCBs in modern medicine.

  PublisherDOI

• Cybersecurity Challenges in Digital Financial Inclusion

  International Journal of Science Architecture Technology and Environment · 2026-05-15

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Cybersecurity Challenges in Digital Financial Inclusion Mr. Anurag Verma1*, Ms. Megha Mahant2, Dr. Suresh Kumar Pattanayak3 Abstract The expansion of digital financial services has significantly contributed to enhancing financial inclusion across the globe, particularly in developing economies such as India. With the rapid adoption of mobile banking, digital wallets, and online payment systems, financial services […]

  PublisherDOI

• Electronic health records to test multimorbidity influences to plasma biomarker interpretation for Alzheimer’s disease

  medRxiv · 2025-08-19

  preprintOpen access

  Abstract Objective Plasma biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology are frequently tested in specialized research settings, limiting generalizability of findings. Using electronic health records and banked plasma, we evaluated plasma biomarkers – phosphorylated tau 217 (p-tau 217 ), β-amyloid 1-42/1-40 (Aβ 42 /Aβ 40 ) and p-tau 217 /Aβ 42 – in a real-world, diverse clinical population with multimorbidities. Methods Participants (n=617; 44% Black/African American; 41% female) were selected from the University of Pennsylvania Medicine BioBank with plasma assayed using Fujirebio Lumipulse. International Classification of Diseases (ICD) Ninth and Tenth Revision codes determined AD dementia (ADD; n=43), mild-cognitive impairment (MCI; n=140), unspecified/non-AD cognitive impairment (CI; n=106), and cognitively normal cases (n=328), and other medical histories. APOE ε4, body mass index (BMI), metrics of kidney function ( e.g. , eGFR), and liver disease were derived from electronic health records. Multivariable models identified factors related to plasma levels. Previously established cutpoints classified AD status (“AD+”, “AD-”, or “Intermediate”). Results Plasma p-tau 217 /Aβ 42 had the strongest association with known AD-related factors – MCI, ADD, future progression to MCI/ADD, age, and APOE ε4 – compared to p-tau 217 and Aβ 42 /Aβ 40 . Plasma p-tau 217 /Aβ 42 was also associated with eGFR, diabetes, and history of hearing loss. Importantly, AD-related factors were most frequent/severe for AD+ classification by p-tau 217 /Aβ 42 , while medical morbidities were most frequent/severe for Intermediate classification. Exploratory analyses test p-tau 217 /Aβ 42 adjusted for eGFR to eliminate its influence on plamsa levels. Interpretation In this real-world dataset, we identified effects of multimorbidities on plasma biomarkers, especially kidney function. The p-tau 217 /Aβ 42 ratio had low rates of Intermediate classification and may help to account for multimorbidity effects on plasma levels.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Genome-Wide Assessment of Pleiotropy Across >1000 Traits from Global Biobanks

  medRxiv · 2025-04-22 · 3 citations

  preprintOpen access

  ABSTRACT Large-scale genetic association studies have identified thousands of trait-associated risk loci, establishing the polygenic basis for common complex traits and diseases. Although prior studies suggest that many trait-associated loci are pleiotropic, the extent to which this pleiotropy reflects shared causal variants or confounding by linkage disequilibrium remains poorly characterized. To define a set of candidate loci with potentially pleiotropic associations, we performed genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analyses of up to 1,167 clinically relevant traits and diseases across 1,789,365 diverse individuals genetically similar to Admixed American (AMR, N Max = 60,756), African (AFR, N Max = 128,361), East Asian (EAS, N Max = 307,465), European (EUR, N Max = 1,283,907), and South Asian (SAS, N Max = 8,876) reference populations from the VA Million Veteran Program (MVP), UK Biobank (UKB), FinnGen, Biobank Japan (BBJ), Tohoku Medical Megabank (ToMMo), and Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES). We identified 27,193 genome-wide significant locus-trait pairs (1MB region with P GWAMA < 5 × 10 −8 ) in within-population analysis and 29,139 in multi-population analysis (P MR-MEGA < 5 × 10 −8 ). Among these, 11.5% (n = 3,149) of locus-trait pairs in population-wise and 6.4% (n = 1,875) in multi-population analyses did not reach genome-wide significance in previously published GWAS. In aggregate, the genome-wide significant loci fell within 2,624 non-overlapping autosomal genomic windows on average ∼600kb in size. Each locus contained genome-wide significant signals for a median of 6 traits (IQR 2 to 18), including 2,110 (80%) pleiotropic loci associated with >1 trait. Multi-trait colocalization identified 1,902 (72%) loci with high-confidence (posterior probability > 0.9) evidence of a shared causal variant across two or more traits. Variants in pleiotropic loci were significantly enriched for a broad spectrum of functional annotations compared to non-pleiotropic counterparts. Polygenic scores (PGS) developed from these data generally improved prediction compared to existing PGS, and were broadly associated with both primary and pleiotropic phenotypes. These results provide a contemporary map of genetic pleiotropy across the spectrum of human traits/diseases and diverse genetic backgrounds.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Global multi-ancestry genetic study elucidates genes and biological pathways associated with thyroid cancer and benign thyroid diseases

  medRxiv · 2025-05-16 · 2 citations

  preprintOpen access

  Abstract Thyroid diseases are common and highly heritable. Under the Global Biobank Meta-analysis Initiative, we performed a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies from 19 biobanks for five thyroid diseases: thyroid cancer, benign nodular goiter, Graves’ disease, lymphocytic thyroiditis, and primary hypothyroidism. We analyzed genetic association data from ∼2.9 million genomes and identified 235 known and 501 novel independent variants significantly linked to thyroid diseases. We discovered genetic correlations between thyroid cancer, benign nodular goiter, and autoimmune thyroid diseases ( r 2 =0.21-0.97). Telomere maintenance genes contribute to benign and malignant thyroid nodular disease risk, whereas cell cycle, DNA repair, and DNA damage response genes are predominantly associated with thyroid cancer. We proposed a paradigm explaining genetic predisposition to benign and malignant thyroid nodules. We evaluated thyroid cancer polygenic risk scores (PRS) for clinical applications in thyroid cancer diagnosis. We found PRS associations with thyroid cancer risk features: multifocality, lymph node metastases, and extranodal extension.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• FROM PLANTS TO PHARMACEUTICS: EDIBLE PLANT-DERIVED EXOSOMES FOR THERAPEUTIC DRUG DELIVERY APPLICATIONS

  Journal of Applied Bioanalysis · 2025-12-05

  articleOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Base-Assisted and Silica Gel-Promoted Indole-Substituted Indene Synthesis

  The Journal of Organic Chemistry · 2025-04-01 · 1 citations

  article1st author

  and silica gel for direct access to polysubstituted indenes from readily obtainable starting precursors. Notably, sequential Michael addition, intramolecular cyclization, and silica gel-promoted nucleophilic substitution reactions afford the desired products. A broad range of indoles and other aromatic nucleophiles are well-tolerated, affording indenes in moderate to good yields. Gratifyingly, indene could be easily converted into synthetically useful 3-indole-substituted indanone and indanol. Nonetheless, the successful isolation of a reaction intermediate highlights the crucial role of methanol in this reaction.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Jun Liu

  Suzhou University of Science and Technology

  1248 shared

• Wei Zhao

  Michigan United

  1139 shared

• Zhe Wang

  Zhejiang University

  926 shared

• Jun Liu

  University of California, San Francisco

  875 shared

• Wei Zhou

  XinHua Hospital

  788 shared

• Wei Zhou

  Yanbian University

  740 shared

• Wei Huang

  China Textile Academy

  592 shared

• Wei Zheng

  547 shared

Labs

• Anurag Verma LabPI

Education

• PhD

  Pennsylvania State University

  2017