Research projects at the UTRGV Center for Genome Research focus on diseases that are important health disparities for Mexican Americans and incorporate cutting-edge technologies to maximize the impact of training and research experiences.  

Hepatocellular Genetic Epidemiology of Fatty Liver Disease in Hispanics   
Co-Leads: Joanne Curran, PhD, and Satish Kumar, PhD.  

• This project focuses on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a major public health issue affecting millions of people worldwide with the highest prevalence among Hispanic populations.   

• Risk for NAFLD is due to a complex mix of genetic and environmental factors that are largely unidentified.  

• To rigorously test for genotype-by-environment interactions in NAFLD, this project will use a novel assessment of liver cells in response to experimental conditions mimicking dietary lipid overfeeding.  

• This approach will provide better understanding of the etiology of NAFLD and potential approaches to early detection of disease.    
     

Genomic Approaches to Pollutome Effects on Risk of Major Depression in Hispanic Pedigrees   
Lead: John Blangero, PhD. 

• Major depressive disorder (MDD) is among the most common mental illnesses, affecting 16.2% of individuals in the US, and is a health disparity in Hispanics.  

• In Mexican Americans, 46% of the variation in recurrent MDD is attributable to genetics, though recent evidence suggests that exposure to pollutants also influences MDD risk.  

• This study will measure person-specific levels of organic and inorganic pollutants to search for environmental determinants of recurrent MDD risk in large pedigrees from the long-running Mexican American Family Study.  

• This study will use genomic tools to enhance the identification of environmental risk factors and to foster the study of genotype-environment interactions.