How genes shape the body's daily clock
Genetics of human circadian rhythms: using sequencing, novel phenotyping methods, and functional assays to move towards a deeper understanding of circadian mechanisms
This project looks at people's genes and daily sleep/activity patterns to find genetic links to body-clock differences that can affect sleep, mood, cancer risk, and heart/metabolic health.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Brigham and Women's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11141177 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would see researchers use large biobanks to find people with very early or very late sleep patterns and sequence their DNA to look for rare genetic changes. They are developing easy, scalable ways to measure daily rhythms using wearables, smartphone data, and short home tests so many people can be included. When candidate genes are found, lab-based cellular tests will be used to see how those changes affect the internal cellular clock. The team aims to turn these findings into better timing-based prevention or treatment ideas for sleep and related health problems.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people with very early or very late sleep schedules, clear circadian timing disorders, or those willing to share detailed activity/sleep data and genetic samples.
Not a fit: People without sleep or circadian-related issues, or those seeking an immediate clinical therapy, are unlikely to get direct benefit from this research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new ways to prevent or treat sleep-timing problems and related conditions by targeting the body's clock or timing treatments to each person's biology.
How similar studies have performed: Previous genetic studies have linked some genes to sleep timing, but combining biobank-driven rare variant sequencing with large-scale phenotyping and cellular functional follow-up is a newer and promising approach.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Brigham and Women's Hospital — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lane, Jacqueline Marie — Brigham and Women's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Lane, Jacqueline Marie
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.