Combining genes and location to understand adult-onset diabetes
Integrative genomic and geospatial analysis of insurance claim, biobank and GWAS summary statistics for complex traits
This project combines genetic information, health and insurance records, and where people live to find environmental and genetic factors that raise the risk of adult diabetes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Pennsylvania State Univ Hershey Med Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Hershey, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11309191 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project merges genetic data with medical billing records, biobank samples, and location information to separate environmental and genetic causes of adult-onset diabetes. Researchers are building new statistical tools (called SMILE and SMART) to better detect links between genes and local exposures and to combine results across many studies. They will apply these methods to large datasets such as UK Biobank, U.S. insurance claims (MarketScan), TOPMed genetic data, and international consortia on smoking, drinking, lipids, and diabetes. If you are enrolled in a biobank or have consented to research use of your medical and location data, your information could help identify local risks like air pollution that may influence diabetes risk.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults with or at risk for type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes who have donated genetic samples, medical records, or permit linkage of their location data through a biobank or insurance records would be most relevant.
Not a fit: People without genetic data or linked health/location records, children with juvenile diabetes, or those with rare non–type 2 forms of diabetes are unlikely to be helped directly by this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal modifiable environmental risks and genetic patterns that lead to earlier prevention and more personalized care for adults at risk of diabetes.
How similar studies have performed: Previous work combining genetics with some environmental data has found diabetes risk factors, but linking detailed geospatial data across biobanks and insurance records with these new models is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Hershey, United States
- Pennsylvania State Univ Hershey Med Ctr — Hershey, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jiang, Bibo — Pennsylvania State Univ Hershey Med Ctr
- Study coordinator: Jiang, Bibo
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.