Metabolomics insights into health disparities in Native Hawaiian adults
Official title: Leveraging metabolomics to identify factors contributing to health disparities in Native Hawaiian individuals
Funded at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center · NIH-11378016 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study looks at blood metabolites to understand why Native Hawaiian adults experience higher rates of diabetes and heart-related conditions.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | May 1, 2024 |
| Project end | April 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $701,442 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL174378-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11378016 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults of Native Hawaiian or Japanese American descent who consent to blood sampling and follow-up assessments.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without Native Hawaiian or Japanese American ancestry or those unwilling to provide biospecimens may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
Native Hawaiians face disproportionately high cardiometabolic health burdens, and this project will compare metabolomic profiles between Native Hawaiian and Japanese American adults to uncover biological factors contributing to disparities. Researchers will collect blood samples and analyze circulating metabolites to link patterns with obesity, BMI, and disease risk. The goal is to identify biomarkers and pathways that explain why these groups experience different rates of diabetes, gout, hypertension, and stroke, potentially guiding targeted prevention in the future. The work is anchored at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, led by Dr. Burcu Frances Darst, and aims to build a large-scale dataset to illuminate mechanisms behind health inequities.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Identifying metabolomic markers could lead to better-tailored prevention and treatment strategies for Native Hawaiian and related populations.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies have linked metabolomic profiles to metabolic diseases, supporting the potential for meaningful insights with this comparative approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Darst, Burcu Frances — Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
- Study coordinator: Darst, Burcu Frances
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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.