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Contact Details

Email
megan.leask@otago.ac.nz
Position
Pūkeka | Lecturer
Department
Department of Physiology
Iwi affiliations
Kāi Tahu
Research summary
Assigning function to genetic variants associated with metabolic traits

Research

My research projects aim to assign function to genetic variants that are associated with health and disease using bioinformatics, zebrafish and cell assays. I also work with Māori and Pacific genetic data to identify clinically-relevant genetic variants that are unique to Māori and Pacific people. The long-term outcomes of this work has the potential to reduce health disparities and improve genetic equity in these population groups.

Publications

Toomata, Z. L., Jiang, Y., Yeu, R. Q., Brandon, R., Tweedie-Cullen, R. Y., Nehren, N., … Leask, M., Merriman, T. R., Paul, R., Merry, T. L., Shepherd, P. R., & Murphy, R. (2025). Reducing weight gain with pioglitazone vs vildagliptin in CREBRF rs373863828 A-allele carriers: Insights form the WORTH trial. Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome & Obesity, 18, 1255-1262. doi: 10.2147/dmso.S500336 Journal - Research Article

Gérard, B., Leask, M., Merriman, T. R., Bardin, T., Oehler, E., Lawrence, A., … Te Karu, L., Stamp, L. K., Dalbeth, N., & Pascart, T. (2025). Hyperuricaemia and gout in the Pacific. Nature Reviews Rheumatology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1038/s41584-025-01228-7 Journal - Research Article

Talosaga, M., Darroch, H., Horsfield, J., & Leask, M. (2024, August-September). Investigating the function of the type-2-diabetes gene JAZF1 in alternative tissues. Poster session presented at the 18th New Zealand Medical Sciences Congress (MedSci), Queenstown, New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Poster Presentation (not in published proceedings)

Darroch, H., Mosimann, C., Lalonde, R., Calhoun, C., Morice, E., Ledgerwood, E., … Stamp, L., Merriman, T., Horsfield, J., Wilcox, P., & Leask, M. (2024, August-September). Novel ‘omics and molecular pipelines in zebrafish for precision medicine for and by Māori. Verbal presentation at the 18th New Zealand Medical Sciences Congress (MedSci), Queenstown, New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Gaal, O. I., Leask, M., Nica, V., Cabău, G., Badii, M., Hotea, I., … Merriman, T. R., … Joosten, L. A. B. (2024). Gout-associated SNP at the IL1RN-IL1F10 region is associated with altered cytokine production in PBMCs of patients with gout and controls. Arthritis Research & Therapy, 26, 205. doi: 10.1186/s13075-024-03436-0 Journal - Research Article

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