Linking metabolomics to diseases using human genetics: a CLSA study
Channel: Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA/ÉLCV)
Date: 15/02/2024

Metabolomics is the study of metabolites – small molecules produced through a biological process within the body. Metabolic processes can influence disease risk and provide therapeutic targets, and metabolomics has emerged as an important tool for biomarker discovery. The CLSA provides comprehensive and extensive data used for the study of metabolites, including recent research that has identified connection between metabolites and 12 traits and diseases, including bone mineral density, body mass index, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma and even incidental hip fracture. 

This CLSA Webinar, presented Thursday, February 15 at noon by PhD candidate Yiheng Chen of McGill University, showcased research using CLSA data that exploreing how the genetic architecture of metabolites can be linked to common diseases. A question-and-answer period follows.

Yiheng Chen is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Human Genetics at McGill University under the supervision of Prof. Brent Richards and Prof. Celia Greenwood. His research focuses on understanding the interplay between metabolites and disease using genomics approaches. He is also interested in the impact of sex on the genetic variant-metabolite associations.