SYSTEMS GENETICS TO DETERMINE RISK OF DEVELOPING DIABETES COMPLICATIONS
Emeritus Professor Grant Morahan, Professor of Diabetes Research, University of Western Australia Centre for Medical Research (affiliated with the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research), Perth, Australia & Honorary Professor, Baker Department of Cardiometabolic Health, University of Melbourne, Australia
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Perth, Australia | December 2025
Professor Morahan invented the term “Systems Genetics” for the science field that examines how genetic variants can affect whole networks of genes and whole systems; there are now several laboratories and institutes of systems genetics around the world. He also developed the next-generation genetic resource, The Gene Mine, the most powerful of its type in the world, used globally in rapid mapping and identification of genes. Collaborators nationally and internationally have tested The Gene Mine for traits and diseases in which they specialise.
As a member of the Steering Committee of the Type 1 Diabetes Genetics Consortium, he worked to design the global study recruiting and characterising T1D genetics, which resulted in identification of over 40 T1D risk genes. The culmination of this program, for which Prof Morahan was PI of the Asia-Pacific Network, was published in Nature Genetics (41:703-707) and has been cited 1579 times.
Currently, he is a member of the Steering Committee of the Environmental Determinants of Islet Autoimmunity (ENDIA) Study, the only study in the world investigating T1D families to follow at-risk babies from pregnancy through childhood. Completing recruitment in 2020, the study already has 40 publications.
His latest discovery involves next-generation algorithms that are able to predict whether a person will be genetically high/low risk of developing a number of complex genetic diseases. Professor Morahan is working toward commercialising these genetic tests so they can benefit the public and the healthcare system.
During his career, Prof Morahan has supervised 23 postgraduate students and mentored nine postdoctoral positions. Since 2003, Prof Morahan has applied for and received close to $20 million in research funds, both nationally and internationally. He has 299 academic publications, 17,0744 citations and has an h-index of 60.
Source: Supplied
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8562-7325
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Clinical Research in Emergency Medicine
Professor Daniel Fatovich is a senior emergency physician and clinical researcher at Royal Perth Hospital Emergency Department (ED), with over 30 years’ experience in the design and conduct of clinical research in Emergency Medicine. He is also Head of the Centre for Clinical Research in Emergency Medicine (CCREM) within the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research.
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Pathogenicity, modelling & treatment of inherited retinal Stargardt disease
Dr Di Huang is a Research Associate at the Lions Eye Institute (LEI), working with A/Professor Fred Chen and Dr Sam McLenachan. Her research focuses on developing a robust platform of retinal pigment epithelium cells and retinal organoids derived from patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells to model inherited retinal diseases, particularly Stargardt disease (STGD1).
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Pregnancy in women with chronic kidney disease
Professor Shilpanjali Jesudason is an academic nephrologist and Head of Department at the Royal Adelaide Hospital’s Central Northern Adelaide Renal and Transplant Service, South Australia.
From 2017-2020, she was the Clinical Director of Kidney Health Australia, the peak body for patients with kidney disease. In this role she developed a passion for advancing kidney disease education in primary care.
