The Florez lab aims to bring the treatment of diabetes and its complications into the new era of molecular medicine, using genetic and metabolomic approaches. To achieve these objectives, the lab undertakes the following set of activities:

1. Genetic discovery via high-throughput approaches. We have leveraged genome-wide association studies and whole-exome sequencing to discover genetic determinants of type 2 diabetes, related traits and downstream complications in diverse populations

2. Functional characterization of genetic association signals. Through fine-mapping and functional genomics we have begun to elucidate the molecular, cellular and physiological consequences of nucleotide changes in DNA sequence associated with type 2 diabetes in humans

3. Physiological assessment of glycemic and metabolic traits affected by genetic variation. In observational cohorts, clinical trials and dedicated physiological studies we have explored how type 2 diabetes- associated genetic variants impact glucose regulation in humans

4. Clinical translation of genetic findings. We have leveraged newly discovered genetic variation to understand the heterogeneity of type 2 diabetes, predict disease onset, or evaluate response to different treatment modalities

Lab website