NCID-2676
Laura Scott
Research Professor
University of Michigan
Education/Degree:
1 Cell Biology Cell Biology (The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine)
About
I am a Research Professor in the Biostatistics Department. I am a past chair of the Biostatistics DEI Committee and serve on the School of Public Health DEI Committee.
Within my research, I work to identify:
1. Differences in in mRNA expression and DNA regulatory elements openness by sex, as well as by Type 2 diabetes and physical activity, in human muscle tissue
2. Differences in mRNA expression by sex, as well as by glucose and insulin levels, in subcutaneous adipose tissue
3. Genetic risk factors for pneumonia in African American children using a genome-wide association study (GWAS) approach
4. Rare variants that affect the risk of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia in African American adults (N>8000) using a whole genome sequencing approach
Current Work
The risk of many diseases varies by sex. Tissues like muscle and adipose (fat) play crucial roles in disease development. I want to understand how adipose and muscle tissue differs between men and women, particularly at the cellular level. To do this I compare the levels of messenger RNA (mRNA) by sex. mRNA is transcribed from specific places in the DNA and is the template for building proteins which carry out cellular functions. Using the mRNA levels I can predict which functional sets of proteins might be made at higher levels in men or in women, and the role they might play in disease development.
I also work to identify genetic variants that affect the risk of disease in African American and European ancestry individuals. Fewer genetic studies have been carried out in African American individuals than in European ancestry individuals and a goal of this work is to help equalize the genetic knowledge we have across ancestries.
Research Area Keyword(s)
Omics, genomics, African American, Disease association, gender