Circadian rhythms enable mammals to anticipate daily environmental changes and maintain physiological homeostasis. Epidemiological studies have shown that circadian misalignment is associated with a range of metabolic diseases. For example, night shift workers and individuals with sleep disorders are at increased risk of obesity, diabetes, and related metabolic conditions, akin to the effects of overnutrition.
Our team is committed to investigating the impacts of environmental factors and genetic background on physiological rhythms using state-of-the-art functional epigenomic approaches. We have established a link between circadian remodeling and metabolic dysfunction associated with fatty liver disease in diet-induced obesity mice (Cell 2018; Science 2020). To address the gap in understanding how genetic variation shapes human circadian regulation, we recently identified the first genome-wide map of human rhythmic expression QTLs (rhyQTLs), revealing inherited variants that modulate rhythmic gene expression and influence disease risk ( Nature Communication 2025).
By leveraging highly collaborative and integrative multiple-omics and loss-of-function tools, we aim to develop innovative chrono-pharmacological and chrono-nutritive therapeutic strategies for metabolic diseases and cancer.
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