Approved Research

Harnessing Multi-Omics and Multimodal Data to Decipher the Interplay Between Diet, Inflammation, Metabolic Dysregulation, and Progression of Chronic Diseases

Lay summary

What key factors influence who will develop chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease, and how quickly those conditions progress over one's lifetime? This question forms the foundation of our proposed 5-year research initiative to unravel connections between diet, inflammation, metabolism, and the onset and advancement of widespread chronic illnesses.

Past studies have linked our nutritional habits to changes in genes, proteins, gut microbes, and molecular messages that accelerate "wear and tear" processes that cause disease. However, we lack clarity on these gradual step-wise interactions spanning what we eat, low-grade inflammation, and metabolic health on the initiation and gradual worsening of conditions like cancer and organ deterioration.

This project will use advanced computational methods to integrate diverse datasets on genes, proteins, and lab tests spanning thousands of patients to map molecular networks driving common age-related diseases. Factoring nutrition, inflammatory status, and exercise can forecast who may suffer future complications while manipulating such modifiable factors could shift outcomes.

Beyond insights into disease mechanisms, we envision our models can guide the the development of low-cost diagnostic screens evaluating diet and anti-inflammatory agents to determine suitable treatments based on a person's molecular makeup and lifestyle habits so interventions can start before irreversible damage. Such innovations focused on affordable, equitable precision medicine solutions will profoundly benefit global public health and welfare while reducing healthcare costs. Overall, this research tackling ubiquitous illnesses through harnessing big data powers has the potential for dramatic reach.