Approved Research

Integrating Omics Data and Genomic Information to Understand the Genetic Basis of Glucose Metabolism and Related Disorders like Diabetes and Obesity

Lay summary

Our research project aims to understand how genes affect the way the body processes glucose, and how this relates to the diseases such as diabetes and obesity. We are trying to identify genes that may be involved in the metabolism processes, and then look for these genes with the genomic data of the individuals from the UK Biobank. By finding new genes and genetic variations that contribute to these conditions, we can better understand how they develop and how to prevent or treat them. We will use various methods to analyze the genetic data and experimentally test the function of candidate genes. Our research will take three years to complete.

This research is important because diabetes and obesity are serious health problems that affect many people around the world. By identifying new genetic targets, we can improve our understanding of these conditions and develop new treatments. Our study will use our high throughput sequencing data and existing resources, like the UK Biobank and publicly available databases, to generate new insights into the genetic basis of these diseases in a cost-effective manner. By linking the phenotypes with the genotypes our findings may ultimately help improve public health by advancing the prevention and treatment of diabetes and obesity.

Scope extension:

Research questions:

We are doing a small-scale screening and omics data mining to find differentially expressed genes in mice that can alter glucose metabolism and other metabolism pathways. With the large cohort and genomics data record in the UK Biobank, we will check:

*            Are any of these genes associated with diabetes or obesity in humans?

*            Can we identify genetic variants that are associated with altered glucose metabolism in humans?

Our aims will be:

*            To compare the genes identified in mice with genetic data from the UK Biobank to identify any potential links with diabetes or obesity.

*            To investigate the functional role of any identified genes or genetic variants in glucose metabolism.

*            To link metabolic pathways with such metabolic diseases and link the genotypes with phenotypes.

In addition to our ongoing screening efforts, we have identified two genes, Foxk1 and Foxk2, that influence glucose metabolism in adipocytes and muscle cells, impacting overall metabolic function in mice. Expanding our research, we now aim to investigate the potential links between these two genes and cognitive functions. Utilizing the UK Biobank data, we will examine whether there are any genetic variations (SNPs) within Foxk1 and Foxk2, or their associated targets, that may be associated with dementia or other cognitive disorders. Our objective is to explore and establish connections between the identified genotypes and phenotypes related to cognitive and brain health.