BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS - Hispanics, Latinos or Mexican-Americans from this part of the country have high rates of some chronic diseases such as diabetics, obesity and liver problems.
But a multi-omics research will look into the causes of the alarming rates and is being funded by a $4 million grant the Brownsville School of Public Health has received from the National Institutes of Health.
Multi-omics refers to the research incorporation of data from different omics such as genomics, transcriptomics proteomics and metabolomics.
The reach is taking place with the participation of some of the 5,000 volunteers SPH has recruited since it was founded some 20 years ago.
Dr. Joseph B. McCormick, a SPH founding member, said the research’s aim is to help understand why people here are more susceptible to some chronic diseases than other ethnic groups, say Anglo Americans.
“Why do these kind of diseases affect Latinos more than others?” he said. “This is the focus of research on our campus.”
Brownsville is one of six locations chosen nationwide. The other locations are three in California, one in New York and one in Chicago,
McCormick is thrilled for the distinction as this city’s size is minuscule in comparison to the five metropolis.
“We are delighted,” he said. “This is a credit for the hard work of our staff some of whom have been working for more than twenty years here.”
McCormick said a large percentage of the volunteers are from Cameron County. SBH is under the umbrella of UT Health Houston.
Under the new study, each of the 300 participants’ height and weight are recorded and pictures and imaging of their livers and eyes are also taken.
McCormick said people from here come from different backgrounds and believes the high levels of particular chronic diseases could be linked to genetics.
“We are looking into different factors,” he said. “One is how our ancestry affects our health.
“We hope this research will lead to knowledge that will help us identify those at high risk before they develop significant liver disease,” he said, “as well as for possible treatments with special emphasis on understudied minorities such as our Hispanic/Latino population.”
