The research projects based in the UTRGV Center for Genome Research are focused on diseases that are important public health issues in south Texas, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and major depressive disorder. Cutting-edge technologies are incorporated into the projects, maximizing the impact of the training and research experiences that are available through these research efforts.

Hepatocellular Genetic Epidemiology of Fatty Liver Disease

Project Leaders: Joanne Curran, Ph.D. and Satish Kumar, Ph.D.

• This project focuses on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is a major public health issue affecting millions of people worldwide.
• Risk for NAFLD is due to a complex mix of genetic and environmental factors that are largely unidentified.
• The project utilizes a novel assessment of the response of liver cells to experimental conditions that mimic lipide over feeding to rigorously test for genotype-by-environment interactions that can affect risk for NAFLD.
• The project is designed to improve our understanding of the etiology of NAFLD and identify novel approaches for the early detection of the disease.

Genomic Approaches to Pollutome Effects on Risk of Major Depression

Project Leader: John Blangero, Ph.D.

• Major depressive disorder (MDD) is among the most common mental illnesses, affecting 16.2% of individuals in the US.
• In Mexican Americans, 46% of the variation in recurrent MDD is attributable to genetic factors, although recent evidence suggests that exposure to pollutants may also influence risk for MDD.
• This study measures person-specific levels of organic and inorganic pollutants to search for environmental determinants of risk for recurrent MDD in large pedigrees from a long-running family study based in south Texas.
• The study uses innovative genomic tools to enhance the ability to detect environmental effects on risk for MDD.