Timo Kern - The role of the oral microbiome in the pathogenesis of pre-diabetes

The overall aim of this PhD project is to explore the influence of the oral microbiota on cardio metabolic traits in 702 well phenotyped individuals at different risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus from the ADDITION-Pro cohort. In a closer look, we have four different goals for this project:

1. To establish and standardize protocols for bacterial DNA extraction and 16S rRNA gene sequencing of human saliva samples.
   
   
2. To explore associations between the composition of the oral microbiota of individuals at high risk of T2DM and glucose levels during a glucose tolerance test, HbA1c, insulin resistance, GLP-1, GIP, glucagon, lipid levels, blood pressure, BMI and waist-to-hip ratio.
   
   
3. To investigate associations between the composition of the oral microbiota and low grade serum inflammation markers.

Using available data from genome-wide association analyses to determine whether selected host genetic variants are associated with the oral microbiota composition of individuals at high risk of T2DM.

This research initiative will contribute with innovative information on the effects of the oral microbiome on the manifestation of metabolic syndrome and the pathogenesis of T2DM. Moreover, the identification of genetic variants associated with the oral microbiota composition may render it possible to use patterns of predisposition to tailor individual management of treatment and prevention of T2DM or diabetic complications.