Biography

Marju Orho-Melander is professor of genetic epidemiology at the Department of Clinical Sciences at the Lund University, Sweden. She has MSc in biochemistry from Helsinki University 1995 and she defended her PhD thesis in experimental endocrinology on studies of the human glycogen synthase genes in 1999.

Orho-Melander has focused on identification of genes regulating lipid and lipoprotein levels using genome wide association studies and utilizes this information to predict cardiovascular disease in population. Second main field of focus of her research group is interaction between genes and diet in type 2 diabetes (T2D), obesity and cardiovascular disease. Her third focus area of research is biomarkers and environmental risk factors linking cardiometabolic disease and cancer. Until today (Sept 2014) Orho-Melander has published 124  papers in international peer reviewed scientific journals and these have been cited >9000 times excluding own citations (h-index 42). 

Research Area

The purpose of her current main projects is to provide novel understanding of causal connections between cardiometabolic traits and incidence of T2D, cardiovascular disease CVD, and certain cancer forms. Her research group further continues with systematic studies on interactions between genetic and dietary risk factors for cardiometabolic disease, now aiming to clarify their connection to gut microbiota and certain cancer forms. Investigating the complex interactions between dietary factors, genetic risk factors, circulating biomarkers and gut microbiota constitution in a comprehensive prospective cohort study design is a crucial first step to allow for subsequent intervention studies. The longer term purpose of the work of Orho-Melanders group is to provide novel intervention strategies aiming to more effective prevention of cardiometabolic diseases and cancer.

Research Group

Today the Orho-Melander group includes four post-doctoral fellows, six PhD students, one laboratory engineer and a research administrator. The group members have basic education in the fields of biochemistry, medicine, nutrition, molecular biology and public health and the post-doctoral fellows are experienced in the fields of nutrition and genetic epidemiology, cardiometabolic disease and cancer epidemiology and bioinformatics.

Grant Support

The Swedish Research Council, The Swedish Heart and Lung Foundation, The Påhlsson Foundation, The Novo Nordisk Foundation, The Swedish Diabetes Foundation, The Region Skåne (ALF), The Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foudnation.

Ten selected papers

1.    Ahmad S, Rukh G, Varga TV, Ali A, Kurbasic A, Shungin D, Ericson U, Koivula RW, Chu AY, Rose LM, Ganna A, Qi Q, Stančáková A, Sandholt CH, Elks CE, Curhan G, Jensen MK, Tamimi RM, Allin KH, Jørgensen T, Brage S, Langenberg C, Aadahl M, Grarup N, Linneberg A, Paré G; InterAct Consortium; DIRECT Consortium, Magnusson PK, Pedersen NL, Boehnke M, Hamsten A, Mohlke KL, Pasquale LT, Pedersen O, Scott RA, Ridker PM, Ingelsson E, Laakso M, Hansen T, Qi L, Wareham NJ, Chasman DI, Hallmans G, Hu FB, Renström F, Orho-Melander M, Franks PW: Gene × physical activity interactions in obesity: combined analysis of 111,421 individuals of European ancestry. PLoS Genet. Jul;9(7):e1003607, 2013

2.    Melander O, Maisel AS, Almgren P, Manjer J, Belting M, Hedblad B, Engström G, Kilger U, Nilsson P, Bergmann A, Orho-Melander M. Plasma proneurotensin and incidence of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, and mortality. JAMA. 308:1469-75, 2012


3.    Hindy G, Sonestedt E, Ericson U, Jing XJ, Zhou Y, Hansson O, Renström E, Wirfält E, Orho-Melander M: Role of TCF7L2 risk variant and dietary fibre intake on incident type 2 diabetes. Diabetologia 55:2646-54, 2012

4.    Voight BF*, Peloso GM*, Orho-Melander M, Frikke-Schmidt R, Barbalic M, Jensen MK, Hindy G, Hólm H, Ding EL, Johnson T, Schunkert H, Samani NJ, Clarke R, Hopewell JC, Thompson JF, Li M, Thorleifsson G, Newton-Cheh C, Musunuru K, Pirruccello JP, Saleheen D, Chen L, Stewart A, Schillert A, Thorsteinsdottir U, Thorgeirsson G, Anand S, Engert JC, Morgan T, Spertus J, Stoll M, Berger K, Martinelli N, Girelli D, McKeown PP, Patterson CC, Epstein SE, Devaney J, Burnett MS, Mooser V, Ripatti S, Surakka I, Nieminen MS, Sinisalo J, Lokki ML, Perola M, Havulinna A, de Faire U, Gigante B, Ingelsson E, Zeller T, Wild P, de Bakker PI, Klungel OH, Maitland-van der Zee AH, Peters BJ, de Boer A, Grobbee DE, Kamphuisen PW, Deneer VH, Elbers CC, Onland-Moret NC, Hofker MH, Wijmenga C, Verschuren WM, Boer JM, van der Schouw YT, Rasheed A, Frossard P, Demissie S, Willer C, Do R, Ordovas JM, Abecasis GR, Boehnke M, Mohlke KL, Daly MJ, Guiducci C, Burtt NP, Surti A, Gonzalez E, Purcell S, Gabriel S, Marrugat J, Peden J, Erdmann J, Diemert P, Willenborg C, König IR, Fischer M, Hengstenberg C, Ziegler A, Buysschaert I, Lambrechts D, Van de Werf F, Fox KA, El Mokhtari NE, Rubin D, Schrezenmeir J, Schreiber S, Schäfer A, Danesh J, Blankenberg S, Roberts R, McPherson R, Watkins H, Hall AS, Overvad K, Rimm E, Boerwinkle E, Tybjaerg-Hansen A, Cupples LA, Reilly MP, Melander O, Mannucci PM, Ardissino D, Siscovick D, Elosua R, Stefansson K, O'Donnell CJ, Salomaa V, Rader DJ, Peltonen L, Schwartz SM, Altshuler D, Kathiresan S: Plasma HDL cholesterol and risk of myocardial infarction: a mendelian randomisation study. Lancet 380: 572-80, 2012

5.    Musunuru K, Strong A, Frank-Kamenetsky M, Wong J, Cantley W, Li H, Ejebe KG, Schadt EE, Orho-Melander M, Melander O, Cowan CA, Koteliansky V, Fitzgerald K, Krauss RM, Kathiresan S, Rader DJ: From DNA sequence variant to lipoprotein phenotype at a novel cholesterol and myocardial infarction locus. Nature 466: 714-719, 2010

6.    Sonestedt E, Roos C, Gullberg B, Ericson U, Wirfält E and Orho-Melander M: Fat and carbohydrate intake modify the association between genetic variation in FTO and obesity. Am J Clin Nutr 90: 1418-1425, 2009

7.    Orho-Melander M, Melander O, Guiducci C, Perez-Martinez P, Corella C, Roos C, Rieder MJ, Abecasis G, Tai ES, Arnett DK, Lyssenko V, Lindholm E Saxena R, de Bakker P, Burtt N, Voight B, Hirschorn JN, Tucker KL, Hedner T, Tuomi T, Isomaa B, Eriksson K-F, Taskinen M-R, Hughes TE, Parnell LD, Lai C-Q, Peltonen L, Vartiainen L, Jousilahti P, Havulinna AS, Salomaa V, Groop L, Altshuler D, Ordovas JM &  Kathiresan S. A common missense variant in the glucokinase regulatory protein (GCKR) gene is associated with increased plasma triglyceride but lower fasting glucose levels. Diabetes, 57: 3112-21, 2008

8.    Kathiresan S, Melander O, Roos C, Guiducci C, Burtt N, Anevski D, Hirschhorn J, Berglund G., Hedblad B., Groop, L, Altshuler D, Newton Cheh C, Orho-Melander M: Polymorphisms associated with cholesterol and risk of cardiovascular events. N Engl J Med 358:1240-9, 2008

9.    Kathiresan S,  Melander O, Guiducci C, Surti.A., Burtt NP, Rieder MJ, Cooper GM,  Roos C, Voight BF, Havilunna AS, Hedner T, Berglund G, Vartianen E, Jousilahti P, Hedblad B, Newton-Cheh C, Salomaa V, Peltonen L, Groop L, Altshuler DM, Orho-Melander M: Six new loci associated with blood low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol or triglycerides in humans, Nat Genet 40:189-97, 2008

10.    Orho M., Bosshard N.U., Buist N.R.M., Gitzelmann R., Aynsley-Green A., Blumel P., Gannon M.C., Nuttall F.Q. and Groop L.C.: Mutations in the liver glycogen synthase gene in children with hypoglycemia due to glycogen storage disease type 0.  Journal of Clinical Investigation 102: 507-515, 1998.