Fig. 1

Research overview and design of drug target Mendelian randomization analysis. PCSK9 and HMGCR inhibitors have been widely used to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). So, we selected CHD as a positive control. In order to verify the existence of causal correlation, it is necessary to meet the conditions as follows: (1) the instrumental variables are not related to the confounders (dashed line), (2) the instrumental variables are related to the exposure factor (solid line), and (3) the instrumental variables are not directly related to the outcome (dashed line). LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; PCSK9, proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9; HMGCR, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase; CHD, coronary heart disease; SLE, systemic lupus erythematosus; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; MG, myasthenia gravis; MS, multiple sclerosis; CD, Crohn’s disease; UC, ulcerative colitis; T1D, type 1 diabetes