Will complex genetics ever advance clinical practice in type 2 diabetes? | Professor Jose Florez

Jose Florez is the Physician-in-Chief and Co-Chair of the Department of Medicine at Mass General Brigham, Jackson Professor of Clinical Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and an Institute Member at the Broad Institute.

About the keynote
Jose Florez delivers a comprehensive overview of how human genetics is transforming our understanding and treatment of type 2 diabetes. In this presentation from a metabolism conference, he addresses the paradox of rising diabetes rates despite therapeutic advances and explores how genetic insights can guide precision medicine approaches.
Key Topics Covered:

Genetic Architecture of Type 2 Diabetes: How GWAS studies have identified hundreds of genetic variants explaining ~50% of heritable risk
Diabetes Subtypes: Using partition polygenic scores to identify 11 genetically-defined diabetes clusters with distinct pathophysiology
Pharmacogenomics: How genetic variants predict differential responses to metformin vs. sulfonylureas
Population Differences: Explaining why East Asians develop diabetes at lower BMIs through genetic clustering
Drug Target Discovery: How genetics identified GLP-1 receptors and other therapeutic targets years before clinical development
Mendelian Randomization: Using genetics to establish causal relationships, such as proving hyperglycemia directly causes cardiovascular disease

Florez demonstrates how genetic findings from the Diabetes Prevention Program show that lifestyle interventions can completely eliminate genetic risk, emphasizing that "genetics is not destiny" when combined with appropriate environmental modifications. This talk provides a roadmap for implementing precision medicine in diabetes care, moving beyond the traditional "one-size-fits-all" approach to personalized treatment strategies.

About Jose Flo
Dr. Florez obtained his B.A./M.S. and M.D./Ph.D. from Northwestern University. He completed his medical residency and a fellowship in Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism at MGH, where he remains clinically active. Prior to becoming Department Chair, he led the Endocrine Division and Diabetes Unit. He has led high-throughput genomic studies in type 2 diabetes and related traits in multiple international consortia, advancing precision medicine and pharmacogenetics in diabetes.

In 2010 he received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers. In 2019 he received the Father of the Year award from the American Diabetes Association.