We are entering a new era in which the explosion of genomic and biological information across multiple developmental and metabolic states is poised to transform the practice of medicine. The clinician's ability to absorb, assimilate and translate this information will determine the extent of its impact on public health. There is an urgent need to train clinical and non-clinical scientists who are competent on big biological data, and who can curate, disseminate and implement the clinically actionable findings that emerge from ongoing efforts. The PI on this application has dedicated himself to advance genomic and metabolomic discoveries in type 2 diabetes, and now seeks to mentor a cadre of highly trained investigators who will be enabled and empowered to lead the application of genomic and systems-wide approaches to the clinical setting. To achieve this goal, he will 1) establish an infrastructure of pertinent genomic and physiologic datasets available for mining, 2) develop a rigorous yet nurturing training pipeline of carefully selected mentees, and 3) guide the investigation of clinically relevant hypotheses that can be tested in the appropriate environment. Dr. Florez is embedded in a successful and productive milieu that embraces a culture of collaboration. As the Chief of the Diabetes Unit and member of the Center for Human Genetic Research at the Massachusetts General Hospital, an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School, and an Institute Member at the Broad Institute, he is placed in a unique position that will enable him and his trainees to benefit from direct access to an unparalleled suite of training resources and datasets germane to the proposed patient-oriented research in type 2 diabetes and its complications.

Public Health Relevance

The explosion of genomic and biological information is poised to transform the practice of medicine, but its impact will be determined by the clinician's ability to absorb, assimilate and translate this body of knowledge. Dr. Florez has dedicated himself to advance genomic and metabolomic discoveries in type 2 diabetes, and now seeks to mentor a cadre of highly trained investigators who will be empowered to lead the application of these findings to the clinical setting. To achieve this goal and while embedded in a cutting-edge clinical and scientific environment, he will 1) establish an infrastructure of pertinent genomic and physiologic datasets, 2) develop a rigorous training pipeline, and 3) guide the investigation of clinically relevant hypotheses.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Type
Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (K24)
Project #
5K24DK110550-03
Application #
9534085
Study Section
Kidney, Urologic and Hematologic Diseases D Subcommittee (DDK)
Program Officer
Spain, Lisa M
Project Start
2016-09-01
Project End
2021-07-31
Budget Start
2018-08-01
Budget End
2019-07-31
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2018
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Massachusetts General Hospital
Department
Type
DUNS #
073130411
City
Boston
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
Merino, Jordi; Leong, Aaron; Liu, Ching-Ti et al. (2018) Metabolomics insights into early type 2 diabetes pathogenesis and detection in individuals with normal fasting glucose. Diabetologia 61:1315-1324
Powe, Camille E; Nodzenski, Michael; Talbot, Octavious et al. (2018) Genetic Determinants of Glycemic Traits and the Risk of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus. Diabetes 67:2703-2709
Vassy, Jason L; He, Wei; Florez, Jose C et al. (2018) Six-Year Diabetes Incidence After Genetic Risk Testing and Counseling: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Diabetes Care 41:e25-e26
Fitipaldi, Hugo; McCarthy, Mark I; Florez, Jose C et al. (2018) A Global Overview of Precision Medicine in Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes 67:1911-1922
Astley, Christina M; Todd, Jennifer N; Salem, Rany M et al. (2018) Genetic Evidence That Carbohydrate-Stimulated Insulin Secretion Leads to Obesity. Clin Chem 64:192-200
Mercader, Josep M; Florez, Jose C (2017) The Genetic Basis of Type 2 Diabetes in Hispanics and Latin Americans: Challenges and Opportunities. Front Public Health 5:329
Merino, Jordi; Leong, Aaron; Posner, Daniel C et al. (2017) Genetically Driven Hyperglycemia Increases Risk of Coronary Artery Disease Separately From Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes Care 40:687-693
Billings, Liana K; Jablonski, Kathleen A; Warner, A Sofia et al. (2017) Variation in Maturity-Onset Diabetes of the Young Genes Influence Response to Interventions for Diabetes Prevention. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 102:2678-2689
Florez, Jose C (2017) Mining the Genome for Therapeutic Targets. Diabetes 66:1770-1778
Manning, Alisa (see original citation for additional authors) (2017) A Low-Frequency Inactivating AKT2 Variant Enriched in the Finnish Population Is Associated With Fasting Insulin Levels and Type 2 Diabetes Risk. Diabetes 66:2019-2032

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