Alexandr Rakitko
Visiting Associate Teaching Professor
Research Interests
Professor Rakitko’s teaching and research interests span bioinformatics, mathematical statistics, data-driven genomics, genome-wide association studies, polygenic risk scores, population genetics, complex diseases, microbiome research, and the application of machine learning and artificial intelligence in personalized medicine.
Email
In addition to his position at MBZUAI, Professor Rakitko is affiliated with Genotek Ltd., a leading personal DNA testing company, where he has served as Head of IT and R&D since 2014. In this role, he leads interdisciplinary teams of researchers, engineers, and data scientists, overseeing the development of genomic technologies, DNA tests for personalized medicine, population-scale genetic studies, and AI-driven analytical services. Professor Rakitko also serves as a lecturer at the Higher School of Economics and as an Associate Professor at ITMO University.
- Ph.D. in Probability Theory and Mathematical Statistics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia
- Postgraduate Studies, Ph.D. Program, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia
- Specialist Degree (M.Sc.-equivalent) in Mathematics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia
- Nedoluzhko, A., et al., Rakitko, A., Chugunov, V., Ilinsky, V.: "Ancient DNA analysis of an elite nomadic warrior from the Chinge-Tey I funerary complex, Tuva", BMC Genomics, 26, 220, 2025.
- Trofimov, M., Kudriavskii, V., et al., Rakitko, A.: "Genetic analysis of alcohol use disorder: GWAS of AUDIT and polygenic risk scores in an East Slavic population", Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2025.
- Perelygin, V., Kamelin, A., et al., Rakitko, A., Poptsova, M.: "Deep learning captures the effect of epistasis in multifactorial diseases", Frontiers in Medicine, 11, 1479717, 2025.
- Lammi, V., et al.: "Genome-wide association study of long COVID", Nature Genetics, 2025.
- Kovalenko, E., Vergasova, E., Shoshina, O., Popov, I., Ilinskaya, A., Kim, A., et al., Rakitko, A.: "Lactase deficiency in Russia: a multi-ethnic genetic study", European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 77(8), 803–810, 2023.
- "COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative. Mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19", Nature 600, 472–477, 2021.
- Weiner, J., Suwalski, P., Holtgrewe, M., Rakitko, A., Thibeault, C., Mueller, M., et al.: "Increased risk of severe clinical course of COVID-19 in carriers of HLA-C04:01", EClinicalMedicine, 40, 2021.
- Boev, A. S., Rakitko, A. S., Usmanov, S. R., Kobzeva, A. N., Popov, I. V., Ilinsky, V. V., et al.: "Genome assembly using quantum and quantum-inspired annealing", Scientific Reports, 11, 13183, 2021.