Transcript

Speaker 1

We've all come across the observation that people differ in their ability to maintain weight. Some people tend to gain weight rapidly, and that has a lot to do with the environment, the diet, the level of physical activity. But it also has, science shows, a very strong genetic and biological component. It is really important to study the genetic of obesity because genetic studies can highlight new biological pathways, and some of these pathways may be therapeutically modifiable to benefit patients who cannot maintain a healthy weight with lifestyle intervention. I've been working for many years on the genetic basis of obesity, but to be honest with you, I didn't really know what to expect because this study was unique for its design and its size. We came in with an open mind, with curiosity. Nobody had ever done a study of this size and with this particular study design using exome sequencing, so we had to come up with innovative ways of, analyze the data, develop new tools, ways to visualize it. It's something like trying to race a car while you're trying to build it at the same time. So it was a very exciting, sometimes hectic, but very fun process and fun project and study to be in. As a medical doctor who's focusing on research, the ability to influence patients with my science, in this case, human genetics. It's a theme that is really close to my heart and it's really important in what I do every day.