Common chronic diseases (e.g., cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases) represent a major health burden, arising from complex interactions between genetic susceptibility and numerous non-genetic factors like socioeconomic status, lifestyle, diet, and environment. While many risk factors are known, the biological mechanisms linking these exposures to disease development and prognosis remain largely unclear. Understanding these pathways is crucial for effective prevention and treatment. This project aims to bridge this gap by integrating multi-omics data (genomics, proteomics, metabolomics) to reveal the intermediate molecular processes (e.g., altered protein levels, metabolic perturbations) involved.
Research Questions:
1. How do specific lifestyle, environmental, dietary, and socioeconomic factors influence the risk and prognosis of major chronic diseases?
2. What are the key molecular mediators (proteins, metabolites) and biological pathways that link these risk factors to disease onset and progression?
3. How does genetic background modify the impact of these exposures on disease outcomes, and what are the multi-omics signatures of these gene-environment interactions?
Objectives:
1. To quantify the associations between a wide range of non-genetic risk factors and the incidence/prognosis of common chronic diseases within the UK Biobank.
2. To leverage multi-omics data (proteomics, metabolomics) to identify specific molecules and pathways mediating the observed associations between risk factors and disease.
3. To investigate gene-environment interactions by examining how the effects of exposures on disease risk and multi-omics profiles differ according to genetic susceptibility.
This research seeks to provide deeper mechanistic insights into chronic disease etiology, potentially identifying novel targets for prevention and therapy, and contributing to more personalized risk assessment strategies. The project duration is planned for 36 months.
