A genomics approach to unravelling the link between steroid hormone dysregulation and cardio-metabolic disease

Steroid hormones are chemical messengers influencing multiple processes in the human body, including inflammation, metabolism, sperm production and the menstrual cycle. Steroid hormone imbalances have been linked to nearly all leading causes of death, including heart disease and diabetes. It is unclear, however, if these relationships are causal and what implications for treatment they might have. To fill this gap, I will investigate the biological processes causing steroid hormone dysregulation and how these are linked to the development of cardio-metabolic disease as follows: - I will identify the genetic factors driving steroid hormone imbalances, using large-scale data capturing genetic variation and blood measurements of steroid hormones; - Study how genetic factors influencing steroid hormones affect the biology of specific organs; - Link this information to cardio-metabolic disease outcomes and risk factors. The impact of my research will be to renew our scientific understanding of steroid hormone dysregulation and identify novel targets for treatment.