Final Report Summary - GEPIDIAB (Genetics and epigenetics of Type 2 Diabetes physiology)
Obesity currently affects1,4 billion people and Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) hits half a billion but these numbers should double soon. These metabolic diseases are responsible of millions of premature deaths and of severe disabilities worldwide. They are also major burden for health care systems. Current treatments are unable to fix the problem.
Genetic factors are important for their development in the context of our current toxic modern environment. Why some people are at higher risk for T2D and/or obesity is still largely unknown. Gepidiab aim was to decipher genetic (fixed at conception) and epigenetic (due to the environmental effects on the genome function) factors linking obesity and T2D in a perspective of personalised medicine. To achieve our goal, we developed innovative (epi)genetic approaches followed by novel types of functional studies in original models of diabetes to make breakthroughs in the field. We also constituted world unique cohorts of consanguineous families with severe obesity, and of obese patients followed after obesity surgery with constitution of a comprehensive multi-tissue biobank. The combination of genetic and epigenetic approaches with functional cellular and animal studies allowed Gepidiab London/Lille complementary teams to find new mechanisms for obesity and diabetes with groundbreaking clinical perspectives in both genetic diagnosis of rare diseases and precision obesity and diabetes medicine. We not only found new mechanisms explaining obesity and diabetes occurrence but we also made progress in a major complication of obesity and T2D: liver disease. We got new clues to restore normal insulin secretion and to maintain normal tissue response to secreted insulin in order to control T2D and ot prevent complications. Gepidiab is a good example of the power of transdisciplinary transnational and transethnic integrated metabolic studies (with a special effort to elucidate these diseases in developing countries) with a strong basic research basis and with clear medical outcomes. It also showed how UK medical science when linked to continental EU science can be successful (and vice versa).
Genetic factors are important for their development in the context of our current toxic modern environment. Why some people are at higher risk for T2D and/or obesity is still largely unknown. Gepidiab aim was to decipher genetic (fixed at conception) and epigenetic (due to the environmental effects on the genome function) factors linking obesity and T2D in a perspective of personalised medicine. To achieve our goal, we developed innovative (epi)genetic approaches followed by novel types of functional studies in original models of diabetes to make breakthroughs in the field. We also constituted world unique cohorts of consanguineous families with severe obesity, and of obese patients followed after obesity surgery with constitution of a comprehensive multi-tissue biobank. The combination of genetic and epigenetic approaches with functional cellular and animal studies allowed Gepidiab London/Lille complementary teams to find new mechanisms for obesity and diabetes with groundbreaking clinical perspectives in both genetic diagnosis of rare diseases and precision obesity and diabetes medicine. We not only found new mechanisms explaining obesity and diabetes occurrence but we also made progress in a major complication of obesity and T2D: liver disease. We got new clues to restore normal insulin secretion and to maintain normal tissue response to secreted insulin in order to control T2D and ot prevent complications. Gepidiab is a good example of the power of transdisciplinary transnational and transethnic integrated metabolic studies (with a special effort to elucidate these diseases in developing countries) with a strong basic research basis and with clear medical outcomes. It also showed how UK medical science when linked to continental EU science can be successful (and vice versa).