About

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Genetic differences in DNA sequence underlie much of the variation in traits we see in nature, both within and between species. Even within a single individual, genetic differences can arise among cells over time, contributing to variation in traits and, in some cases, to conditions such as pregnancy loss and cancer.

The McCoy Lab uses tools from computational and statistical human genetics to study how germline and somatic evolution shape (1) genome function and (2) reproduction and development. Our work spans diverse biological systems but is unified by a common goal: developing methods to uncover the fundamental evolutionary forces that influence our genomes, from individual cells to entire populations.

The lab is part of the Department of Biology and the Cell, Molecular, Developmental Biology, and Biophysics (CMDB) doctoral training program at Johns Hopkins University.

Lab News
  • Andrew’s thesis defense
    Andrew Bortvin delivered his public thesis defense, presenting computational approaches in population genetics that do not rely on a reference genome. These “reference-free” methods are especially valuable for studying complex, repetitive, or hyperdiverse loci, as well as species lacking high-quality reference genomes. Congratulations to Dr. Bortvin!
  • ASH conference in Orlando
    Michael attended the annual conference of the American Society of Hematology in Orlando and gave a talk about his latest work using phylogenetic methods to uncover surprising examples of recurrent somatic evolution during hematopoiesis. Check out his abstract, published in Blood.
  • ASHG 2025 in Boston
    Rajiv, Arjun, and Margaret attended the American Society of Human Genetics Conference in Boston. Arjun and Rajiv presented posters, and Margaret presented a talk about her work using long-read RNA-seq to study isoform diversity across global human populations.
  • JHU turns 150
    Sara, Michael, and Rajiv were featured for a fraction of a second in a video celebrating the 150th anniversary of Johns Hopkins University. See if you can find us chatting with President Daniels!
  • Lab retreat in DC
    We had our annual lab retreat at the new JHU Bloomberg Center building in Washington, D.C. We enjoyed some good science, as well as good food and views of the city.

…see the Updates tab for more past lab news.