Research Projects

Several UM Udall projects with interesting findings are underway, including the following:

Project 1

Dr. Eden Martin heads Project 1. The goal of this project is to examine candidate genes based on the principle of genomic convergence, and to enhance these efforts by including analysis of complex genetic and environmental interactions in our large family sample. Genomic convergence involves converging the data from multiple, independent genomic approaches, most notably gene expression and linkage analysis, to prioritize genes for association studies. This has been a very successful approach, whose use has been developed by our Udall Group. Association studies in Project I have included work on potential associations of twenty-seven genes including Fibroblast growth factor 20 and demonstration of a gene-environment interaction between polymorphisms of inducible nitric oxide (NOS2A) and smoking. Additional gene-gene and gene-environment interactions are currently under investigation.

Project II

Dr Gaofeng Wang is Principle Investigator on Project II. This project utilizes material from the Udall Center's autopsy program to look for expression changes in the substantia nigra and other affected areas, developing candidate genes for Project 1.  Gene expression differentiation in PD provides a powerful genomic tool to combine with our other genetic investigations.  Plus, the advancement of technology in RNA arrays, requiring much less RNA, means our researchers can begin to look at pathway changes in one individual throughout different areas of the brain.

Project III

Project III, headed by Dr. Jeffery Vance, seeks to identify why the J and K haplogroups of the mitochondrial genome are protective for Parkinson Disease. Progress has been made in designing a proteomic chip array for complex I through work with Mitosciences’ Dr. Rod Capaldi, a co-PI of Project III. Initial gene expression studies have been completed on fibroblasts of individuals with specific mitochondrial haplogroups.

Project IV

Dr. William Scott leads Project IV, which looks at association studies in linkage regions.  Dr. Scott and his team recently completed a new linkage study of 6000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPS) in approximately twice the number of families of our initial linkage study, and a high density SNP scan across the chromosome 5 linkage region.