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Suboptimal Health and Glycomics

The Suboptimal health and glycomics research team is part of the Centre for Precision Health, an ECU Strategic Research Centre. The team aims to integrate subjective (suboptimal health) and objective (N-glycan) markers of health and establish a standardised screening and monitoring tool for cardio-metabolic disorders by constructing a dynamic glycan screening panel. These derived profiles will be used as tools (biomarkers) of a risk continuum for screening chronic diseases and their relation to various lifestyle and environmental factors, as well as monitoring the progression of suboptimal health status towards cardio-metabolic disorders, such as metabolic syndrome, diabetes, cardiovascular and renal diseases.

Research Interests

  • Genetic epidemiology (biomarker screening, validation and trial)
  • Global health (disease burden, and chronic diseases diagnosis & management)
  • Genomics and glycomics (bioinformatics, DNA sequencing and N-Glycan profiling)

For more information, contact Professor Wei Wang

Current Projects

  • Human Glycome Project
    • Inter- and Intra-population diversities of glycan profiling
  • Suboptimal Health
    • Suboptimal health status assessment as a measure for prognosis of preeclampsia, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and biological ageing.
  • Global Health  
    • Subjective (suboptimal health) and objective (N-glycan) markers of health research in three major ethnic populations:  African, Asian, and Caucasian.
  • The Nathan Centre for rare diseases
  • Glycan Aging Study

Postgraduate student project opportunities

  • Towards personalised medicine via population-based study of variability of the human IgG glycome
  • Profiling IgG N-glycans as biomarkers of the ageing process: The Busselton Healthy Ageing Study
  • Suboptimal health: A new instrument for chronic disease assessment

For more information visit the SMHS Higher Degree by Research or HDR students project opportunities webpages.

Research team

Group Leader

Professor Wei Wang

Senior Lecturer

Dr Lois Balmer

Postdoctoral researchers

Dr Xingang Ivan Li

Visiting Scholar

Dr Manshu Song

PhD students

  • Andrea Lyon
  • Caipan Gong
  • Chunbin Zhou
  • Dan Wu
  • Dong Lin
  • Fangli Hu
  • Huiying Pan
  • Jiangyue Yao
  • Jinxia Zhang
  • Dr Lan Chen
  • Monique Garcia
  • Pengxiang Ying
  • Ruirui Xu
  • Sean Oh
  • Sharon Chen
  • Tharani Senavirathna
  • Wanqi Wang
  • Weijie Cao
  • Xiaojia Xu
  • Yulong Lan
  • Zhixian Chen
  • Zhisheng Chen
  • Zhuoqiao He

Key Publications

  • Zhang, X., Wang, A., Zhang, J., Singh, M., Liu, D., Zuo, Y., Wu, L., Song, M., Wang, W., Feigin, V., Wang, Y., Zheng, D., (2020), Association of plasma C-reactive protein with ischaemic stroke: a Mendelian randomization study. European Journal of Neurology, epub ahead of Print(2019), 7p., DOI: 10.1111/ene.14113
  • Li, H., Zheng, D., Li, Z., Wu, Z., Feng, W., Cao, X., Wang, J., Gao, Q., Li, X., Wang, W., Hall, B., Xiang, Y., Guo, X., (2019), Association of depressive symptoms with incident cardiovascular diseases in middle-aged and older Chinese adults. JAMA Network Open, 2(12), e1916591, DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.1659
  • Russell, A., Kepka, A., Trbojevic-Akmacic, I., Ugrina, I., Song, M., Hui, J., Hunter, M., Laws, S., Lauc, G., Wang, W., (2019), Increased central adiposity is associated with pro-inflammatory immunoglobulin G N-glycans. Immunobiology, 224(1), 110-115, DOI: 10.1016/j.imbio.2018.10.002.
  • Cao, W., Li, X., Zhang, X., Zhang, J., Sun, Q., Xu, X., Sun, M., Tian, Q., Li, Q., Wang, H., Liu, J., Meng, X., Wu, L., Song, M., Hou, H., Wang, Y., Wang, W., (2019), No Causal Effect of Telomere Length on Ischemic Stroke and Its Subtypes: A Mendelian Randomization Study. Cells, 8(2), Article number 159, DOI: 10.3390/cells8020159.
  • Salimova, E., Nowak, K., Estrada, A., Furtado, M., McNamara, E., Nguyen, Q., Balmer, L., Preuss, C., Holmes, J., Ramialison, M., Morahan, G., Rosenthal, N., (2019), Variable outcomes of human heart attack recapitulated in genetically diverse mice. npj Regenerative Medicine, 4(5), 1-15, , DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41536-019-0067-6.
  • Balmer, L., Whiting, R., Rudnicka, C., Gallo, L., Jandeleit , K., Chow, Z., Chow, Y., Richardson, K., Forbes, J., Morahan, G., (2019), Genetic characterization of early renal changes in a novel mouse model of diabetic kidney disease. Kidney International, 96(4), 918-926, DOI: 10.1016/j.kint.2019.04.031.
  • Anto, E., Roberts, P., Coall, D., Turpin, C., Adua, E., Wang, Y., Wang, W., (2019), Integration of suboptimal health status evaluation as a criterion for prediction of preeclampsia is strongly recommended for healthcare management in pregnancy: a prospective cohort study in a Ghanaian populationEPMA Journal, 10(3), 211-226, DOI: 10.1007/s13167-019-00183-0.
  • Garcia, M., Downs, J., Russell, A., Wang, W., (2018), Impact of biobanks on research outcomes in rare diseases: a systematic review. Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases, 13(1), article no.202, United Kingdom,  DOI: 10.1186/s13023-018-0942-z.
  • Liu, D., Zhao, Z., Wang, A., Ge, S., Wang, H., Zhang, X., Sun, Q., Cao, W., Sun, M., Wu, L., Song, M., Zhou, Y., Wang, W.,Wang, Y., (2018), Ischemic stroke is associated with the pro-inflammatory potential of N-glycosylated immunoglobulin G. Journal of Neuroinflammation, 15(1), Article no 123, United Kingdom, BioMed Central Ltd, DOI: 10.1186/s12974-018-1161-1.b
  • Keser, T., Gornik, I., Vuckovic, F., Selak, N., Pavic, T., Lukic, E., Gudelj, I., Gasparovic, H., Biocina, B., Tilin, T., Wennerstrom, A., Mannisto, S., Salomaa, V., Havulinna, A., Wang, W., Wilson, JF., Charutvedi, N., Perola, M., Campbell, H., Lauc, G., Gornik, O., (2017), Increased plasma N-glycome complexity is associated with higher risk of type 2 diabetes. Diabetologia, 60(12), 2352-2360, Heidelberg, Germany, Springer, DOI: 10.1007/s00125-017-4426-9.
  • Wang, Y., Ge, S., Yan, Y., Wang, A., Zhao, Z., Yu, X., Qiu, J., Alzain, M., Wang, H., Fang, H., Gao, Q., Song, M., Zhang, J., Zhou, Y., Wang, W., (2016), China suboptimal health cohort study: rationale, design and baseline characteristics. Journal of Translational Medicine, 14(1), article no.291, DOI: 10.1186/s12967-016-1046-y.
  • Wang, Y., Adua, E., Russell, A., Roberts, P., Ge, S., Zeng, Q., Wang, W., (2016), Glycomics and its application potential in precision medicine. Science, 2(2), 36-37, Washington, DC, DOI: 10.1126/science.354.6319.1601-b.
  • Vuckovic, F., Kristic, J., Gudelj, I., Teruel, M., Keser, T., Pezer, M., Pucic-Bakovic, M., Stambuk, J., Trbojevic-Akmacic, I., Barrios, C., Pavic, T., Menni, C., Wang, Y., Zhou, Y., Cui, L., Song, H., Zeng, Q., Guo, X., Pons-Estel, B., McKeigue, P., Patrick, AL., Gornik, O., Spector, TD., Harjacek, M., Alarcon-Riquelme, M., Molokhia, M., Wang, W., Lauc, G., (2015), Association of systemic lupus erythematosus associates with decreased immunosuppressive potential of the IgG glycome. Arthritis & Rheumatology, 67(11), 2978-2989,  DOI: 10.1002/art.39273.
  • Lauc, G., Huffman, J., Pučić, M., Zgaga, L.,  Adamczyk, B., Mužinić, A., Novokmet, M., Polašek, O., Gornik, O.,  Krištić, J.,  Keser, T., Vitart, V., Scheijen, B., Uh, H.,  Molokhia, M.,  Patrick, A.,  McKeigue, P., Kolčić, I., Lukić, I., Swann, O.,  van Leeuwen, F.,  Ruhaak, L..,  Houwing-Duistermaat, Slagboom, J.,  Beekman, M.,  de Craen, A.,  Deelder, A.,  Zeng, Q.,  Wang, W.,  Hastie, N.,  Gyllensten, U.,  Wilson, J.,  Wuhrer, M.,  Wright, A.,  Rudd, P.,  Hayward, C.,  Aulchenko, Y.,  Campbell, H., Rudan. I. (2013) Loci associated with N-glycosylation of human immunoglobulin G show pleiotropy with autoimmune diseases and haematological cancers.  PLoS Genet.; 9(1): e1003225.  doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1003225
  • Chan, K.,  Wang, W.,  Wu, J.,  Liu, L,  Theodoratou, E.,  Car, Middleton, L,  Russ, T.,  Deary, I.,  Campbell, H.,  Wang, W.,  Rudan, I. (2013); on behalf of the Global Health Epidemiology Reference Group (GHERG). Epidemiology of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia in China, 1990–2010: a systematic review and analysis.  Lancet; 381: 2016–2023.
  • Köttgen, A.,  Pattaro, C.,  Böger, C.,  Fuchsberger, C.,  Olden, M., Glazer, N.,  Parsa, A.,  Gao, X.,  Yang, Q.,  Smith, A., J., O'Connell, Li, M.,  Schmidt, H.,  Tanaka, T., Isaacs, A., Ketkar, S.,  Hwang, S.,  Johnson, A.,  Dehghan, A.,  Teumer, A.,  Paré, G.,  Atkinson, E.,  Zeller, T.,  Lohman, K.,  Cornelis, M.,  Probst-Hensch, N.,  Kronenberg, F.,  Tönjes, A.,  Hayward, C.,  Aspelund, T.,  Eiriksdottir, G.,  Launer, L, Harris, T., Rampersaud, E.,  Mitchell, B.,  Arking, D.,  Boerwinkle, E.,  Struchalin, M.,  Cavalieri, M.,  Singleton, A., Giallauria, F., Metter, J.,  De Boer, I.,  Haritunians, T.,  Lumley, T., Siscovick, D.,  Psaty, B.,  Zillikens, M., Oostra, B.,  Feitosa, M.,  Province, M.,  De Andrade, M.,  Turner, S., Schillert, A.,  Ziegler, A.,  Wild, P.,  Schnabel, R.,  Wilde, S.,  Munzel, T.,  Leak, T.,  Illig, T.,  Klopp, N.,  Meisinger, C.,  Wichmann, H.,  Koenig, W.,  Zgaga, L.,  Zemunik, T.,  Kolcic, I.,  Minelli, C.,  Hu, F.,  Johansson, A., Igl, W.,  Zaboli, G.,  Wild, S., Wright, A., Campbell, H.,  Ellinghaus, D.,  Schreiber, S.,   Aulchenko, Y., Felix, J.,  Rivadeneira, F., Uitterlinden, A.,  Hofman, A.,  Imboden, M.,  Nitsch, D.,  Brandstätter, A.,  Kollerits, B.,  Kedenko, L., Mägi, R.,  Stumvoll, M.,  Kovacs, P.,  Boban, M.,  Campbell, S.,  Endlich, K., Völzke, H.,  Kroemer, H.,  Nauck, M.,  Völker, U.,  Polasek, O., Vitart, V.,  Badola, S.,  Parker, A.,  Ridker, P.,  Kardia, S.,  Blankenberg, S.,  Liu, Y.,  Curhan, G.,  Franke, A.,  Rochat, T.,  Paulweber, B.,  Prokopenko, I.,  Wang, W.,  Gudnason, V.,  Shuldiner, A., Coresh, J.,  Schmidt, R.,  Ferrucci, L.,  Shlipak, M.,  Van Duijn, C.,  Borecki, I.,  Krämer, B.,  Rudan, I.,  Gyllensten, U.,  Wilson, J.,  Witteman, J., Pramstaller, P.,  Rettig, R.,  Hastie, N.,  Chasman, D.,  Kao, W.,  Heid, I., Fox, C. (2010). New loci associated with kidney function and chronic kidney disease.  Nature Genetics. 42 (5) 376-384.  https://doi.org/10.1038/ng.568
  • Lauc, G.,  Essafi, A.,  Huffman, J.,  Hayward, C.,  Knežević, A., Kattla, J.,  Polašek, O.,  Gornik, O., Vitart, V., Abrahams, J., Pučić, M., Novokmet, M., Redžić, I., Campbell, S., Wild, S., Borovečki, F., Wang, W., Kolčić, I., Zgaga, L.,  Gyllensten, U.,  Wilson, J.,  Wright, A.,  Hastie, N.,  Campbell, H.,  Rudd, P.,  Rudan, I. (2010). Genomics meets glycomics—the first GWAS study of human N-glycome identifies HNF1α as a master regulator of plasma protein fucosylation.  PLoS Genet. 6(12): 1001256. 10.1371/journal.pgen.1001256.
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