MRC Epidemiology Unit
Programme Leaders – Professor Ken Ong & Dr John Perry
Programme news
Read news and blogs about this programme’s research.
Objectives
This programme serves the following Unit Objectives as a main focus:
- To investigate the causes of obesity, diabetes and related metabolic disorders
- To develop understanding of mechanisms identified by population-based studies
- To develop and evaluate individual level approaches to the prevention of diabetes, obesity and related metabolic disorders in children and adults
- To develop new methods, resources and tools for epidemiological and public health research
It serves the following Unit Objectives as an element of the programme:
- To build capacity for conducting, understanding and using local, national, and international epidemiology and public health research
- To contribute to the translation of research evidence into policy and practice
Research
There is much evidence for links between childhood growth, reproductive ageing and various health outcomes, including type 2 diabetes and other obesity-related co-morbidities. However, poor understanding of the mechanisms that underlie these trajectories has limited the translation of such findings to the development and adoption of early life preventive strategies. The overall goal of this programme is to describe and understand the mechanisms that link growth and development to risks for obesity and type 2 diabetes, and to use this understanding to inform early life interventions to prevent such diseases. This programme builds on its expertise in life-course and genetic epidemiology, endocrinology and paediatrics, with particular strengths in large-scale data analysis and interpretation, and by close working with other Unit programmes.
The specific objectives of our research are to:
- Characterise the trajectories linking childhood growth and development to later T2D and other obesity-related outcomes/li>
- Understand the genetic, epigenetic, hormonal and metabolic mechanisms that underlie these trajectories
- Inform the development of early life strategies to avoid later T2D and other obesity-related outcomes
In collaboration with the Unit’s Prevention of diabetes and related metabolic disorders and Behavioural Epidemiology programmes, we also perform work to develop and test interventions to avoid excessive infant weight gain and prevent childhood obesity.
Programme members
- Felix Day – Senior Research Associate
- Emanuella De Lucia Rolfe – Anthropometry Specialist
- Francis de Zegher – Honorary Senior Visiting Fellow
- Eugene Gardner – Visiting Scientist
- Raina Jia – PhD Student
- Lena Kaisinger – PhD Student
- Katherine Kentistou – Senior Research Fellow
- Rajalakshmi Lakshman – Clinical Senior Investigator Scientist
- Hana Lango Allen – Senior Research Associate
- Emily Morbey – PhD student
- Ken Ong – Programme Leader
- John R.B. Perry – Programme Leader
- Richard Powell – Anthropometry Research Assistant
- Dan Wright – Senior Research Associate
- Yajie Zhao – MRC Postdoctoral Fellow
Programme alumni
- Alexia Cardona – Career Development Fellow
- Tuck Seng Cheng – PhD Student
- Emma Clifton – Ph.D. Student
- Denise Gigante – Visiting Scientist
- Cathy Elks – Career Development Fellow
- Ben Hollis – Ph.D. Student
- Leonardo Pozza – Visiting Ph.D. Student
- Alessandra Prioreschi -Visiting Scientist
- Stasa Stankovic – PhD Student
Publications
See all Early Life Aetiology and Mechanisms of Diabetes and Related Metabolic Disorders publications on the MRC Epidemiology Unit Publications Database.