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Genetic variant discovery

Over more than a decade, the , an international consortium chaired by Joel Hirschhorn, has used genetic data from more than 5.4 million people to catalog common human genetic variants that influence body mass index and waist circumference (both of which are connected to obesity), as well as height. To date, the consortium has discovered nearly all of the common genetic variants thought to influence human height and weight. 

The Hirschhorn lab and collaborators are using computational and experimental approaches to decipher the genes, pathways, and cell types that are implicated by the genetic discoveries.

Adipose cell and tissue biology

Adipose tissues — made up of white, beige, or brown fat cells (also called adipocytes), as well as other cell types — constitute a dynamic organ that influences metabolism, heat production, and immunity; and has distinct characteristics depending on where it is found in the body. As the body's main storage site for fat, it is also intimately linked with obesity and cardiometabolic disease. 

The Kahn, Kajiumura, Rosen, and Tseng labs explore how adipocytes interact with the glands and tissues of the endocrine system, investigate their roles in heat production and energy regulation throughout the body, study the molecular processes underlying adipocytes' development and functions, and construct single-cell atlases of the cell types within both human and mouse adipose tissues.

Biological mechanisms of obesity

Using a combination of genetics, machine learning, imaging, genome-wide CRISPR screening, patient-derived adipose cells, and other experimental approaches, the Claussnitzer lab works to understand how common genetic variants affect adipocytes' biology, and how those changes influence a person's likelihood of developing obesity and risk of cardiometabolic diseases. 

Genetic variant discovery

Over more than a decade, the , an international consortium chaired by Joel Hirschhorn, has used genetic data from more than 5.4 million people to catalog common human genetic variants that influence body mass index and waist circumference (both of which are connected to obesity), as well as height. To date, the consortium has discovered nearly all of the common genetic variants thought to influence human height and weight. 

The Hirschhorn lab and collaborators are using computational and experimental approaches to decipher the genes, pathways, and cell types that are implicated by the genetic discoveries.

Adipose cell and tissue biology

Adipose tissues — made up of white, beige, or brown fat cells (also called adipocytes), as well as other cell types — constitute a dynamic organ that influences metabolism, heat production, and immunity; and has distinct characteristics depending on where it is found in the body. As the body's main storage site for fat, it is also intimately linked with obesity and cardiometabolic disease. 

The Kahn, Kajiumura, Rosen, and Tseng labs explore how adipocytes interact with the glands and tissues of the endocrine system, investigate their roles in heat production and energy regulation throughout the body, study the molecular processes underlying adipocytes' development and functions, and construct single-cell atlases of the cell types within both human and mouse adipose tissues.

Biological mechanisms of obesity

Using a combination of genetics, machine learning, imaging, genome-wide CRISPR screening, patient-derived adipose cells, and other experimental approaches, the Claussnitzer lab works to understand how common genetic variants affect adipocytes' biology, and how those changes influence a person's likelihood of developing obesity and risk of cardiometabolic diseases.