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Endocrine Abstracts (2015) 39 S3.1 | DOI: 10.1530/endoabs.39.S3.1

Cambridge, UK.


Childhood obesity is a major and growing clinical concern strongly influenced by environmental factors such as changes in diet and levels of physical activity. However, within a given environment, some children develop severe obesity which is strongly influenced by inherited factors which modulate eating behaviour and energy expenditure. We have studied a cohort of individuals with severe, early onset severe obesity (n=6000) called the Genetics of Obesity Study (GOOS). Candidate gene studies in this cohort have previously led to the identification of patients with mutations in multiple genes involved in leptin–melanocortin signalling. Whole exome sequencing is proving to be an increasingly important tool in understanding the genetic heterogeneity associated with obesity leading to the discovery of multiple new genes. The discovery of how genetic variation at an individual and at a population level contributes to weight gain can drive further understanding of the molecular and physiological pathways involved in weight regulation and suggest targets for drug discovery and for therapeutic intervention.

Volume 39

43rd Meeting of the British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes

British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes 

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