Research
Our Research
Investigating the Relationship Between Cardiac and Metabolic Diseases
Chemistry of Exercise
Although everyone can benefit from exercise, the mechanistic links between physical fitness and overall health are not fully understood, nor are the reasons why the same exercise can have different effects in different people. Investigators in the Gerszten Lab work are providing insights related to these unanswered questions. The results could be helpful for determining the specific types of exercise most likely to benefit a particular individual and for identifying new therapeutic targets for diseases related to metabolism.
While groups as a whole benefit from exercise, the variability in responses between any two individuals undergoing the very same exercise regimen is actually quite striking.
Impact of Diet and Genes on Metabolism
Because metabolites play key roles as markers and effectors of cardiometabolic diseases, recent studies have sought to annotate the genetic determinants of circulating metabolite levels. The Gerszten laboratory has completed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 217 plasma metabolites, including more than 100 not measured in prior genome-wide studies.
Identifying the genetic underpinnings of metabolic signatures
The Gerszten Lab has completed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 217 plasma metabolites, including more than 100 not measured in prior genome-wide studies. For most analyses, estimated heritability explained more than 20 percent of inter-individual variation, and the variation in metabolite levels attributable to heritable factors was greater than that attributable to clinical factors.
Cardiometabolic Risk Prediction
Metabolic diseases pose a particular challenge for clinicians because they are often in existence for many years before becoming clinically apparent. The Gerszten team has investigated whether metabolite profiles can predict the development of diabetes in the Framingham Heart Study and heart disease in the Jackson Heart Study.
Work by the lab has uncovered five branched-chain and aromatic amino acids with highly significant associations with future diabetes onset, while a combination of three amino acids strongly predicted future diabetes onset by up to 12 years.
To identify novel biomarkers that signal coronary heart disease among Black Americans, physician-scientists from the Gerszten Lab analyzed blood plasma samples from participants of the Jackson Heart Study, and found 46 different metabolites that were consistently linked with coronary heart disease among Black individuals.
New insights into the genetic basis of disease
Our team are using new methods, including the integration of bioinformatic approaches with detailed molecular phenotyping and novel omic technologies. The work aims to leverage multi-omic analyses to elucidate mechanisms of cardiovascular disease processes, offering a path towards the development of novel biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets.
