Canine and comparative genomics of metabolic disease
I am interested in how genes influence metabolism. In dogs, selective breeding has resulted an unusual genetic architecture which makes mapping disease associated loci remarkably tractable with much smaller numbers than in human populations. We study pet dogs and use comparative genomics to identify genes that are responsible for determining obesity susceptibility in dogs and humans. The mechanism of action and physiological consequences of variants of interest are tested in the lab in cellular models, and at a whole-dog level by examining their effect on eating behaviour and physiology.
Our overall aim is to better understand how genes link to obesity in both dogs and humans, in order to reveal mechanistic links and identify targets to improve obesity prevention and treatment.
I am a veterinary surgeon who has worked in general practice and at the vet schools in Liverpool and Cambridge. An RCVS and ECVIM specialist in small animal medicine, I have a PhD in the genetics of rare forms of severe insulin resistance in humans. In 2013 I set up the GOdogs Project, investigating the genetics of obesity in dogs. I am based at the Institute of Metabolic Science on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus but our canine studies are carried out at the Dept. Veterinary Medicine where I am an Associate Lecturer.
