{"692842":{"#nid":"692842","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Beyond DNA: Large Study Adds Context of Life Circumstances, Environment to Genetic Risks","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EWhat if a DNA test could help predict what diseases you might be at risk for \u2014 years before they appear? This is one of the dreams of genome-enabled personalized medicine, with DNA tests and screenings opening an unprecedented window into a person\u2019s unique genetic risk of developing certain illnesses.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003ENew research from Georgia Tech shows that the contexts in which genes act \u2014 lifestyle and environmental factors \u2014 are also important in understanding how genes express themselves, and how genetic risk may lead to disease.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EIn a new study published in\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/ng\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003ENature Genetics\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41588-026-02674-z?utm_source=researchgate.net\u0026amp;utm_medium=article\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EPervasive Interactions Between Exposures and Polygenic Risk Can Inform More Effective Clinical and Behavioral Interventions\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, researchers analyzed the genetic data, health outcomes, and lifestyle factors of over 400,000 individuals.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cGenetic risk is often seen as something that can\u2019t be controlled, but that approach assumes a determinism that does not reflect reality,\u201d says the study\u2019s corresponding author\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/people\/gregory-gibson\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGreg Gibson\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, Regents\u2019 Professor, Tom and Marie Patton Chair in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/biosciences.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Biological Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E, and director of the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cig.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECenter for Integrative Genomics\u003C\/a\u003E at Georgia Tech. \u201cOur research shows that people with low genetic risk who live in disadvantaged environments face disease risks similar to those with high genetic risk living in more resourced circumstances.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe findings suggest that people at highest genetic risk may also be the individuals who benefit the most from targeted interventions \u2014 paving the way for more informed genetic counseling and social policy.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EScience at Scale\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EGibson began his career studying the genetics of\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EDrosophila\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003Efruit flies before turning his attention to human genetics when he joined Georgia Tech in the late 2000s, soon after the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.genome.gov\/human-genome-project\u0022\u003EHuman Genome Project\u003C\/a\u003E successfully delivered the first complete sequence of the human genome. \u201cIt transformed the way we do this type of research,\u201d he recalls. \u201cSuddenly it was possible to analyze genetics across large groups of people.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EBecause the effects of genetics can be small in an individual, large datasets are key to understanding genetics and disease at scale. \u201cIf we need to study 200,000 people to see a genetic effect, it takes even more than that to see how those genes interact with the environment,\u201d Gibson says.\u202f\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe team, which included first author\u0026nbsp;\u003Cstrong\u003ESini Nagpal\u003C\/strong\u003E, formerly a postdoctoral fellow at the Georgia Tech Center for Integrative Genomics, leveraged the\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ukbiobank.ac.uk\/\u0022\u003EUK Biobank\u003C\/a\u003E, a program that collects genetic information from half a million volunteers in the United Kingdom to understand who falls ill and why. Started in 2006, the UK Biobank is home to the world\u2019s largest single set of genetic sequencing data \u2014 along with the world\u2019s largest whole-body imaging and long-term health tracking. This type of data is critical, Gibson says, to the advancement of genetic research, and is in large part what has made this new research possible.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cOur research shows that we do have a way to capture situations where a person\u2019s lifestyle and environment interacts with genetics in interesting ways,\u201d he explains. \u201cThese genotype-environment interactions matter. They are important, but they can\u0027t be captured one variant at a time. An integrated approach \u2014 utilizing information in the thousands of genes influencing each disease \u2014 is much more powerful.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EImproving Health Outcomes \u2014 For Everyone\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe team is now interested in expanding their research outside of the British database. \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bioinformatics.gatech.edu\/sini-nagpal\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENagpal\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003Eis now an assistant professor at the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.kcdh.iitb.ac.in\/\u0022\u003EKoita Centre for Digital Health at IIT Bombay\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E,\u003C\/strong\u003E where she is investigating translational genetics in India, including research into diabetes, cardiovascular disease and asthma.\u202f Gibson is interested in translating the research to more broadly apply to the United States, with a focus on rural and disadvantaged communities.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u201c\u003C\/strong\u003EUltimately, if we can quantify which people are at highest risk, we believe we can suggest therapeutic and environmental interventions that could help mitigate their risk, reducing the prevalence of disease in the first place,\u201d he says.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cWe want to dig deeply in ways that reveal disease pathways and begin to unearth the mechanisms behind disease,\u201d Gibson says. \u201cIt\u0027s not just our ancestry that determines health; it\u0027s also culture and environment. We want to incorporate those factors into treatment of individuals and at scale.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThese themes are also present in Gibson\u2019s newly published book,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Natural-Virtue-Genetics-Anti-Eugenics-Philosophy\/dp\/B0H8MMHW45\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003ENatural Virtue: Genetics, Anti-Eugenics, and Moral Philosophy\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, which explores how nature and nurture impact social issues like educational and gender disparities.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EGibson adds that the message is hopeful. \u201cThe genetic differences between different socioeconomic groups aren\u2019t meaningful,\u201d he explains. \u201cOur genetics do not predetermine our health outcomes. If we can create more equitable environments, we can improve outcomes across the board.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003ENew research from Georgia Tech shows that a person\u0027s environment and life circumstances can amplify or reduce the health risks encoded in our DNA \u2014 leading to an array of health outcomes.\u003C\/div\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"New research from Georgia Tech shows that a person\u0027s environment and life circumstances can amplify or reduce the health risks encoded in our DNA \u2014 leading to an array of health outcomes."}],"uid":"35599","created_gmt":"2026-09-28 12:36:59","changed_gmt":"2026-10-05 15:27:45","author":"sperrin6","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-09-28T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-09-28T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"681353":{"id":"681353","type":"image","title":"It\u0027s not just our ancestry that determines health, Gibson says. It\u0027s also culture and environment. (Credit: Juliane Liebermann \/ Unsplash)","body":"\u003Cp\u003EA grandmother walks with her grandchildren on a hiking path.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1791209610","gmt_created":"2026-10-05 14:13:30","changed":"1791209610","gmt_changed":"2026-10-05 14:13:30","alt":"It\u0027s not just our ancestry that determines health, Gibson says. It\u0027s also culture and environment. (Credit: Juliane Liebermann \/ Unsplash)","file":{"fid":"265733","name":"juliane-liebermann-Pw7i-YVg5uM-unsplash.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/10\/05\/juliane-liebermann-Pw7i-YVg5uM-unsplash.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/10\/05\/juliane-liebermann-Pw7i-YVg5uM-unsplash.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3015261,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/10\/05\/juliane-liebermann-Pw7i-YVg5uM-unsplash.jpg?itok=aVjOXwOO"}},"655270":{"id":"655270","type":"image","title":"Greg Gibson 22","body":"\u003Cp\u003EA portrait of Greg Gibson\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1644256033","gmt_created":"2022-02-07 17:47:13","changed":"1790702683","gmt_changed":"2026-09-29 17:24:43","alt":"Greg Gibson","file":{"fid":"248431","name":"greg_gibson.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/greg_gibson.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/greg_gibson.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":234224,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/greg_gibson.jpeg?itok=q835EI5j"}}},"media_ids":["681353","655270"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Natural-Virtue-Genetics-Anti-Eugenics-Philosophy\/dp\/B0HG8QY94Y\/ref=sr_1_1?crid=MH2TQJ2ZA94K\u0026dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.YmGr_m5ttU3TNxRO4MgkjUPIeqPba_Uh9FCZs2mJuiM9qDvLrVg2LRbcXJO9Tya8rW2KueieFc-kO9wJZdVtj20xbqNDjaUuND5wrTu0w15uWV305ISMYv-RHlQ1FvpXKMN6KC14Bk9KzquTLdZYl-GZedZGFJIHx2yZjSfBbGWNXBjv2e_sKKerr0tP5qdJQjHokXh3A4fClZRq03iK4iuWo1PaCEEKch9BjUY0bjU.0RFR5R2bovmcvmLTg7NIFRhSF0vT2yOsYyRFKfjY-Bo\u0026dib_tag=se\u0026keywords=greg+gibson\u0026qid=1790598945\u0026sprefix=greg+gibso%2Caps%2C228\u0026sr=8-1","title":"Natural Virtue"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"192250","name":"cos-microbial"},{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"193653","name":"Georgia Tech Research Institute"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:sperrin6@gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESelena Langner\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EWriter \/ Editor\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003EGeorgia Tech College of Sciences\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}