(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The role of the metabolism in complex disorders such as diabetes, kidney disease and cardiovascular conditions was explored by a leading biomedical researcher in the latest installment of Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar's (WCMC-Q) Grand Rounds.
WCMC-Q Professor of Physiology and Biophysics Dr Karsten Suhre, who is at the forefront of research into the relatively new field of metabolomics, explained the role of genetic variance in human metabolism, which influences the ways in which diseases develop and means that different patients will react to drugs and environmental factors in different ways.
Speaking before an audience of fellow researchers, physicians, students and healthcare professionals at WCMC-Q, Dr Suhre said: "Metabolomics is an extremely exciting field because it can provide us with a holistic view of how the entire metabolism of a person functions on an individual basis. Just as genomics is the study of the whole human genome, metabolomics is the study of the whole human metabolism."
The Grand Rounds, developed by WCMC-Q's Division of Continuing Professional Development, provides a platform from which expert speakers can engage with healthcare professionals in the community to disseminate knowledge of the latest developments in medical technology, research and best practice.
Using state-of-the-art computer technology, Dr Suhre and his team at WCMC-Q have been able to analyze blood and urine samples from patients to create so-called 'metabolic maps' of the many thousands of chemical reactions that collectively form the human metabolome. Through analysis of genetic material, the team has been able to match genetic variance to metabolic processes that are thought to be responsible for a variety of diseases, including diabetes, kidney disease and cardiovascular disorders.
Dr Suhre said: "Understanding the metabolic processes of diseases in depth is useful because it means physicians may be able to intervene in more sophisticated ways. For example, many health disorders are caused by a combination of genetic variance and environmental factors - metabolomics can help us to understand the interaction between the two and then direct the patient to avoid certain environmental factors by, for example, following a special diet, which will reduce their likelihood of developing the disease."
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