Lang Wu
University of Hawaii at Manoa, HI·Public Health & Epidemiology
Many diseases affect some populations more than others. These include African, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, European and Native Hawaiian populations.
- Fields
Public Health & Epidemiology
Genetics
- Topics
genetic epidemiology
multi-ethnic populations
health disparities
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through May 2028
What they work on
- Develop ancestry-specific genetic prediction models for DNA methylation, gene expression, protein and metabolite levels in blood across African American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian American, European American and Native Hawaiian populations.
- Identify DNA methylation, gene, protein and metabolite blood biomarkers that may causally affect risk of multiple diseases, using genetic instruments with large-scale genetic and non-genetic data.
- Evaluate interactions between known non-genetic risk factors and genetically predicted levels of established and new biomarkers on disease risk.
More about the research
Yet the causes of these diseases are often only partly understood. Blood molecules such as DNA methylation (DNAm) marks, gene activity, proteins and metabolites may help explain disease risk. DNAm is a chemical tag that tunes gene activity, often at sites called CpG sites. Most earlier biomarker studies, however, enrolled mainly people of European ancestry. Their results have often been inconsistent, partly because of selection bias and confounding, where hidden factors create false links. It is unclear which markers apply across all ancestries.
Why it matters
Most disease biomarker research has studied people of European ancestry, which may leave other groups underserved. Identifying blood markers that likely cause disease could clarify why diseases arise and why they differ among groups. This includes African American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian American and Native Hawaiian communities. Such knowledge could help efforts to reduce health disparities.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Dabeeru Rao
Washington University in St Louis, MO·Genetics
Identify new genetic loci for cardiometabolic traits through genome-wide interaction studies (GWIS) with lifestyle factors in about 1.267 million European, African, Hispanic and Asian ancestry participants.
Penny Gordon-Larsen
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC·Public Health & Epidemiology
Identify gene-expression signals underlying severe obesity using whole-blood RNA sequencing from more than 15,000 people, and build ancestry-informed eQTL maps for underrepresented populations.
Cynthia Kusters
University of California-Los Angeles, CA·Public Health & Epidemiology·Early-career
Identify DNA methylation and metabolomic signatures linked to short sleep and insomnia, alone and combined, in a high-risk Hispanic population. Compare them with known Alzheimer's disease biomarkers to find shared pathways.
The school
University of Hawaii at Manoa: 23 labs on PI Pages, $376M a year on research, 182 research doctorates a year.
Reach out
A start for your email. Fill in the brackets.