Approved Research

Associations between NR3C1 variants and metabolic phenotypes in humans

Lay summary

Glucocorticoid steroids are widely used drugs to manage inflammation in many conditions. Chronic intake of these drugs promotes untoward side effects, like osteoporosis, obesity, growth suppression and hypertension. These steroids act through a receptor called glucocorticoid receptor, encoded by the gene NR3C1. This 3-year-long project aims at evaluating whether genetic variants in this gene correlate with alterations of metabolism or function. The results of this study may pave the way to better understand how we respond to these drugs and how we can counteract their side effects.