Approved Research

Inaccuracy in biological processes and their effects in human health.

Lay summary

The biological processes of living organisms are subjected to important fluctuations with different intensities and origins. Although this lack of precision can be sometimes beneficial in specific circumstances, it can easily lead to a suboptimal regulation of the biological mechanisms that our bodies need to have a healthy life. This lack of precision can be caused by several factors. For instance, it can be introduced by some specific genetic variants that we inherited from our parents, or they can be introduced by environmental factors that affect our organism (e.g. diet, physical activity, alcohol consumption, etc.). Understanding the potential sources of these fluctuations can lead to a better understanding of the link between our genes and our health. This ultimately can be used to improve both, our capability to predict the risk of developing a particular disease and to take measure to avoid it as well as our capability to find the best treatment on a case by case basis.