Posts by Jose C. Florez, MD, PhD
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Newly Identified Genetic Variant Has Substantial Effect on Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
Most genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are likely to miss variants with recessive effects. In a large recessive-model GWAS, Massachusetts General Hospital researchers identified a novel locus associated with 2.56 greater risk of type 2 diabetes in homozygous carriers that also had substantial effects on lipids.
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Numerous Genetic Variants Are Linked with Differences in Food Intake
Researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Genomic Medicine have provided insights into biological mechanisms that influence dietary intake, highlighting the relevance of brain-expressed genes and brain cell types.
Biography
Jose C. Florez, MD, PhD, is the chief of the endocrine division and the diabetes unit at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), where he holds the John T. Potts Jr., MD Endowed Chair in Medicine. He is also professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and an institute member at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, where he directs the Diabetes Research Group, co-directs the Metabolism Program, and is active in the Program in Medical and Population Genetics.
Florez and his group have contributed to the performance and analysis of high-throughput genome-wide association and sequencing studies in type 2 diabetes and related traits, in international consortia such as MAGIC, GENIE, DIAGRAM, T2D-GENES, AMP-T2D, SIGMA, and RADIANT, where he plays management roles. He leads the genetic research efforts of the Diabetes Prevention Program and the GRADE clinical trial, where the effects of genetic variants on specific behavioral and pharmacological interventions can be assessed. He is the principal investigator of the Study to Understand the Genetics of the Acute Response to Metformin and Glipizide in Humans (SUGAR-MGH), and also conducts other pharmacogenetic studies at MGH. He is an author on more than 180 original publications and more than 50 reviews and book chapters.
In addition to his research and teaching duties, Florez is clinically active in the MGH Diabetes Center, the endocrine inpatient consult service, and the Down Syndrome Program. He serves on the editorial board for Human Genetics, and has been on editorial boards for Diabetes, Diabetologia, and the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism; he is also the editor-in-chief for Current Diabetes Reports. Florez is a member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation and the recipient of the MGH Physician Scientist Development Award, a Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Clinical Scientist Development Award, the MGH Department of Medicine Stephen Krane Award, the MGH Research Scholars Award, and the 2010 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers.
Florez earned his PhD at Northwestern University and his MD at Northwestern University Medical School.
Endocrinology Division
The Endocrinology Division at Massachusetts General Hospital offers a comprehensive integrated program of clinical services for both primary and tertiary care of adults with endocrine disorders.