Atherosclerosis and osteoporosis are both serious conditions causing major disease burden worldwide. Both conditions frequently advance symptomless without causing a significant clinical event, such as a myocardial infarction from atherosclerosis or a bone fracture from osteoporosis. These disorders share risk factors and pathophysiological mechanisms, according to several previous studies, indicating that they are co/multimorbid conditions.
However, research examining the underlying biological mechanisms of the diseases utilising omics data, such as transcriptomics and lipidomics, are lacking despite the significant evidence supporting the co/multimorbidity theory of the diseases. There is thus a pressing need to gain a deeper understanding of how the two diseases coexist, discover shared risk factors and molecular mechanisms, and provide standard approaches for joint risk assessment, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.
“In my doctoral dissertation, I addressed this scientific gap by investigating genome-wide gene expression data and plasma lipidome data profiled from the Young Finns Study cohort to identify multiomic molecular mechanisms underlying these potentially co/multimorbid conditions,” Binisha Hamal Mishra explains.
Towards Dual-Purpose prevention and treatment methods
Hamal Mishra found networks of tightly co-expressed genes and molecular lipids related to the early traits of both diseases. Carotid intima media thickness and bone mineral density were used as the early traits of atherosclerosis and osteoporosis respectively.
“The most important genes or molecular lipids of the networks have been reported by independent previous studies to be associated with atherosclerosis and osteoporosis. However, this is the first study reporting their joint association with both the diseases supporting their co/multimorbidity hypothesis,” Hamal Mishra mentions.
The identified molecular networks, the hub genes and molecular lipids might play an important role in developing dual-purpose prevention and/or treatment methods for atherosclerosis and osteoporosis. However, further studies involving diverse populations and clinical outcomes of the diseases are crucial.
Public Defence on Friday 17 November
The doctoral dissertation of MSc (Health Sciences) Binisha Hamal Mishra in the field of clinical chemistry titled Multiomic Biomarkers Associated with Early Traits of Atherosclerosis and Osteoporosis will be publicly examined at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology of Tampere University on Friday 17 November 2023 from 12 noon in hall F114 of the Arvo building (address: Arvo Ylpön katu 34). The Opponent will be Professor Laura Elo from the University of Turku while Professor Terho Lehtimäki from Tampere University will act as the Custos.