Ansarullah, PhD
Associate Director, Metabolic Phenotyping
The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine
Featured in the Session: Pharmacogenomic Responses in Diabetes: From Mice to Medications
When
Sunday, June 7
at 8:00 a.m.
Where
343 (Level 3)
Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
What is your presentation about?
Genetic background plays a critical role in the development and progression of complex diseases, as well as in determining how individuals respond to therapeutic interventions. However, this variability is often underrepresented in preclinical research, where studies typically rely on a single inbred mouse strain. This lack of genetic diversity can mask important differences in drug efficacy and mechanism of action, ultimately limiting the translational value of these studies. Incorporating diverse and genetically distinct mouse models is therefore essential to better capture biological complexity and improve the predictability of clinical outcomes.
Building on this, our study uses survodutide, a dual glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist and glucagon receptor agonist, as a case study to investigate how genetic variation influences drug response. By evaluating its effects across multiple mouse models of metabolic disease, we aim to uncover strain-dependent differences in therapeutic outcomes and gain insights into the mechanisms driving response variability.
How do you hope your presentation will impact diabetes research or care?
By highlighting the impact of genetic heterogeneity on disease phenotypes and therapeutic response, this work emphasizes a critical limitation of conventional single-strain preclinical models. Integrating genetically diverse systems into early-stage research has the potential to enhance translational fidelity.
How did you become involved with this area of diabetes research or care?
My work in metabolic research has focused on understanding the complexity of metabolic diseases and the factors that drive variability in disease outcomes. At The Jackson Laboratory, I study the role of complex genetics in shaping disease phenotypes using advanced mouse models, while also developing new models to better reflect human disease.