Findings

Recent works:

  • DNA dictates how our bodies grow and function, but molecules can be added or removed from your genes over the course of your life that can change how your genes function. Data from the SYS1 was included in a study that identified DNA modification of certain genes is involved in controlling BP, which in turn can help understand causes of high BP and eventually more targeted treatment. [link]
  • While HDL- and LDL-cholesterol are well known lipids that are monitored by physicians, technological advances now enable measuring much smaller sized molecules that may be used for risk assessment or treatment targets. In collaboration with a lab in Ottawa, we have identified new molecules in blood that are associated with risk for cardiovascular disease. [link]
  • Many people associate obesity, as defined by BMI, with health risks, but some people with high BMI do not develop common obesity-related health risks, and some people with low BMI do develop obesity-related health risk. Certain types of fat (e.g., fat inside the abdomen) are worse than others (e.g. thigh). Data from the SYS1 reported health risks associated with fat inside the abdomen (that we measured with MRI). We also showed that BMI is not a good measure of this type of fat , and we hope to identify new molecules in blood that may reflect abdominal fat as blood tests are easier and more affordable than MRI. [link1] [link2] [link3] [link4]
  • For years, efficacy of drugs for treatment for hypertension was assessed in trials that included only, or mostly, men, and predominantly seniors. With the hour-long recording of blood flow from your fingers, we have found that the determinants of high BP are different in adult men than in adult women or adolescents. This research should provide impetus to study treatment efficacy in younger populations (middle-aged and teens) and in males and females separately, as different drugs could be used to target the different determinants of high BP. [link]
  • Stress can impact both brain and body health. Wealth and its distribution in society may serve as a social stressor influencing brain health and development. We investigated how neighborhood income inequality (the gap in income between richest and poorest households) relates to brain development. Our findings indicate the brains of adolescent girls and boys respond differently to neighborhood income-inequality. Living in a lower income home within a neighborhood of high income-inequality was associated with altered brain development in girls but not boys. Therefore, the developing brains of adolescent females may be more sensitive to social stressors than their male counterparts.[link1][link2]