The human body operates as an interconnected network, where the interactions between various systems profoundly influence complex traits, health outcomes, and disease progression.
We will develop robust models for the integration of multi-omics data to explore these intricate inter-system interactions. Our comprehensive approach aims to provide deeper insights into the underlying mechanisms of human traits and diseases, and facilitating the development of personalized treatment strategies.
By integrating multi-omics data, imaging data, self-report phenotypes and prescription data with advanced computational models, our research aims to deepen our understanding of complex human traits and diseases. This approach has the potential to revolutionize personalized medicine, enabling more precise and effective treatment strategies tailored to individual patients.
We will consider many complex diseases and disorders and will focus on heterogeneity and comorbidity between them across the brain-heart-gut-reproductive systems. Some examples of initial studies are:
1) Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJD) is a prevalent yet often underdiagnosed condition, characterized by facial pain and impaired joint function. TMJD arises from complex interactions among multiple body systems, including the musculoskeletal, central nervous, and immune systems. We will focus on inter-system interactions, thereby improving diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic approaches.
2) Role of the digestive system in cardiovascular diseases or depression. The digestive system plays a crucial role in cardiovascular and brain health through its impact on nutrient absorption, lipid metabolism, and drug metabolism (gut-brain axis, gut-cardiac axis, and brain-cardiac axis). We will identify imaging features that predict metabolic and drug response profiles – a multimodal framework that combines genetic, proteomic, and imaging data to enhance our understanding of disease risk and treatment outcomes.