Research Interests
Key words: human genetics and genomics, diabetes, obesity, lipids, complex diseases, genome-wide association studies, transcriptomics, and epigenomics
Identify Genetic Loci Associated with Complex Diseases and Traits
To identify genetic variants that confer disease susceptibility or influence variability in related traits, we conduct genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in human population studies. In recent years, we and our collaborators have used this approach to identify hundreds of new genetic loci associated with type 2 diabetes, obesity, cholesterol levels, metabolic traits, and cardiovascular risk factors. Large-scale meta-analyses and other multidisciplinary collaborations are key to many of these discoveries. We also study how genetic variants interact with environmental factors to influence the underlying biology of complex diseases and traits.
Characterize Disease- and Trait-Associated Variants
Loci identified by GWAS usually contain many variants in strong linkage disequilibrium with each other, and the genes responsible for most GWAS loci are unclear. We use computational approaches to identify candidate genes and candidate variants, especially at loci with putative regulatory mechanisms. Genome-wide data sets containing information about gene expression, chromatin structure, transcription factor binding, and epigenetic marks in human cells are important resources for identifying genes and regulatory regions. By generating and analyzing transcriptomic and epigenomic data sets, we identify regulatory elements and genes that vary due to genetic or environmental perturbation. We use these data to identify trait-associated variants likely to regulate gene regulation.
Investigate Molecular and Biological Mechanisms
For most loci identified by association studies, the underlying molecular and biological mechanisms remain unknown. Determining the biological basis for the associations of genetic loci with complex diseases and traits will improve our general scientific understanding of pathways contributing to disease etiology. We employ molecular and cellular biology techniques such as CRISPR/Cas-based genome editing to identify the functional variant(s) and gene(s) at these loci, explain the molecular mechanisms linking functional variant(s) to gene(s), and characterize the biological mechanisms linking gene(s) to metabolic traits.
Mentor Training:
- Bias 101
- Culturally Aware Mentoring
- Faculty Mentoring Workshop for Biomedical Researchers
- Mental Health First Aid
- REI Groundwater Training Phase 1
- Unconscious Bias Awareness
Training Program Affiliations:
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
- Genetics and Molecular Biology
Publications
Karen Mohlke in UNC Genetics News

January 30, 2023
Department of Genetics Publications for January 15th – 28th, 2023
Department of Genetics faculty, postdocs, students and collaborators published 16 papers during January 15th – 28th, 2023.

January 2, 2023
Department of Genetics Publications for December 18th – 31st, 2022
Department of Genetics faculty, postdocs, students and collaborators published 10 papers during December 18th – 31st, 2022.

December 18, 2022
Department of Genetics Publications for December 4th – 17th, 2022
Department of Genetics faculty, postdocs, students and collaborators published 8 papers during December 4th – 17th, 2022.

December 1, 2022
Genetics Faculty Awarded New Subcontracts and Service Agreements
Multiple faculty in the Department of Genetics have been awarded new subcontracts from other universities or a new service agreement with a company.

November 20, 2022
Department of Genetics Publications for November 6th – 19th, 2022
Department of Genetics faculty, postdocs, students and collaborators published 11 papers during November 6th – 19th, 2022.

October 24, 2022
Department of Genetics Publications for October 9th – 22nd, 2022
Department of Genetics faculty, postdocs, students and collaborators published 10 papers during October 9th – 22nd, 2022.

September 26, 2022
Department of Genetics Publications for September 11th – 24th, 2022
Department of Genetics faculty, postdocs, students and collaborators published 10 papers during September 11th - 24th, 2022.

September 13, 2022
Dr. Karen Mohlke Awarded New Subcontract from UCLA/NIDDK
Karen Mohlke, PhD (Professor, Genetics) received a subcontract for a new multi-PI R01 awarded to UCLA and funded by NIDDK.

September 12, 2022
Department of Genetics Publications for August 28th – September 10th, 2022
Department of Genetics faculty, postdocs, students and collaborators published 11 papers during August 28th – September 10th, 2022.

August 16, 2022
Department of Genetics Publications for July 31st – August 13th, 2022
Department of Genetics faculty, postdocs, students and collaborators published 7 papers during July 31st – August 13th, 2022. A multi-layer functional genomic analysis to understand noncoding genetic variation in lipids. Ramdas S, Judd J, Graham SE, Kanoni S, Wang Y, Surakka I, Wenz B, Clarke SL, Chesi A, Wells A, Bhatti KF, Vedantam S, …