Nuha El Sayed, MD
Friedman Fellow in Diabetes and Metabolism (2007-2009)
Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA
Mentor Dr. Lechan
Recent Work
In conjunction with her mentor, Ernest Schafer, MD, PhD, head of the Lipid Research Laboratory at the Human Nutrition Research Center-USDA Center at Tufts University, Dr. El Sayed completed a study that assessed allele frequencies of 14 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at 8 candidate genes in mobidly obese individuals. The study demonstrated that the odds ratio for having morbid obesity increased to five fold when the SNPs PCSK1 Q665E and UCP3 Y210Y were both present, and when LPRK109 was not present. This data indicates that these genetic markers may be useful to assess for the risk of developing morbid obesity in human populations. In addition, she has continued her joint effort with the Joslin Diabetes Clinic Obesity research group studying and publishing in the ADA 69th session data from the Why WAIT group related to anti-inflammatory mediators and the satiety hormones GLP-1 & Amylin.
Dr. El Sayed is in the process of completing several manuscripts that will be submitted for publication focused on her research, cardiovascular disease in the Middle East, gestational diabetes across the globe and osteocalcin and glycemic variability.