Group Leaders – Professor Ken Ong & Professor John Perry
Group news
Read news and blogs about this group’s research.
Research
Our research has developed from the MRC Epidemiology Unit’s core programme on “Early Life Aetiology and Mechanisms of Diabetes and Related Metabolic Disorders” (2005-2026).
We take a human population genetics approach, including genome-wide data on common and rare variants in large-scale cohorts, to study the aetiology and mechanisms that underlie three inter-related topic areas:
- Obesity, Type 2 diabetes and related metabolic traits
- Reproductive ageing, including puberty timing, menopause timing, sex hormones, polycystic ovary syndrome and reproductive outcomes
- Biological ageing, including clonal mosaicism in blood and other markers of DNA damage response related to cancer susceptibility
Our research builds on our expertise in life-course and genetic epidemiology, statistical genetics, endocrinology and paediatrics, with particular strengths in large-scale data analysis and interpretation. We work closely with many other research teams in the IMS to take forward human genetics observations into animal and cellular models. Outputs of our research include the identification of new biological mechanisms of disease, drug targets and the development of early life strategies to avoid later T2D and other obesity-related outcomes.
Funding
Among other sources, our research is funded by:
- Wellcome Trust Discovery Award – Healthy reproductive ageing (HERA)
- Wellcome Trust Discovery Award – Using reverse genetics to illuminate human metabolic and endocrine phenotypes
- UKRI MRC Transition Programme Award – Mechanisms of obesity across the life-course
Programme members
- Ana Luiza Arruda – Research Associate
- Felix Day – Assistant Research Professor
- Marta Delfino – PhD student
- Nourhan Ahmed Elmrkhmaty – PhD Student
- Hannah Li – PhD student
- Sinead McGlacken-Byrne – Wellcome Early Career Fellow
- Emily Morbey – PhD student
- Jack Murzynowski – PhD Student
- Ken Ong – Professor
- John R.B. Perry – Professor
Programme alumni
- Alexia Cardona – Career Development Fellow
- Tuck Seng Cheng – PhD Student
- Emma Clifton – PhD Student
- Cathy Elks – Career Development Fellow
- Ben Hollis – PhD Student
- Katherine Kentistou – Senior Research Fellow
- Hana Lango Allen – Senior Research Associate
- Duaa Olwi – PhD Student
- Stasa Stankovic – PhD Student
- Dan Wright – Senior Research Associate
- Emanuella De Lucia Rolfe – Anthropometry Specialist
- Eugene Gardner – Research Associate
- Raina Jia – PhD Student
- Lena Kaisinger – PhD Student
- Rajalakshmi Lakshman – Clinical Senior Investigator Scientist
- Richard Powell – Anthropometry Research Assistant
- Yajie Zhao – PhD Student & Research Associate
Publications
See all of our group’s publications on the MRC Epidemiology Unit Publications Database.