Using genetics to personalize risk and find existing medicines for type 2 diabetes and fatty liver
Official title: A genomics-based strategy to precision phenotyping and drug repositioning in cardiometabolic diseases
Funded at University of Pennsylvania · NIH-11240328 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers will use genetic and medical-record data to spot people at higher risk for type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and to identify existing medicines that might help them.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pennsylvania NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | March 1, 2023 |
| Project end | December 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $361,409 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK134575-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11240328 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, or people with risk factors such as high blood sugar, obesity, or elevated liver enzymes are the most relevant candidates for the project's findings.
✕Less likely to help
People without cardiometabolic conditions (for example, those with unrelated illnesses) and children are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
From your perspective, this project looks at genes, lab measurements (like blood sugar and liver enzymes), and health records to find the hidden traits that link genes to diabetes and fatty liver. The team will use large datasets such as the UK Biobank and real-world electronic health records to estimate how changing those traits could lower a person’s genetic risk. They will then search for drug targets suggested by the genetics and check whether approved drugs that hit those targets show signals of benefit in real-world data. Finally, promising drug candidates would be validated using additional data sources to prioritize ones that could be repurposed for treating fatty liver and related metabolic problems.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify people earlier who are on a path to diabetes or fatty liver and point to already-approved drugs that might be repurposed to treat or slow those conditions.
How similar studies have gone: Related genetic approaches and Mendelian randomization have successfully highlighted drug targets in other conditions (for example, PCSK9 for cholesterol), but repurposing specifically for NAFLD is still largely unproven.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Vujkovic, Marijana — University of Pennsylvania
- Study coordinator: Vujkovic, Marijana
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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.