Epidemiologists study our most common diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease.

Analysing large volumes of health data

Epidemiological (registry) studies are based on data about genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors collected from national population registries, large surveys, extensive data collection from field studies and biobanks. By using this data, our researchers can develop new methods that prevent disease and promote good health.

Our researchers in this area are:

• doing a large population study of 250,000 participants aged between 45 and 75
• trying to find out why certain population groups are susceptible to our most common diseases
• studying causal links to chronic and communicable diseases by measuring biomarkers and analysing genetic variations and interactions at the gene level
• developing monitoring systems for prognostics and patient care bundles for epidemic diseases, such as COVID-19
• contributing to the development of advanced biobanks, databases, registries and other platforms to enable international cutting-edge research.

Genes, lifestyle and environment

Our researchers are looking at lifestyle and environmental factors and how they affect our health. This includes everything from our diet and physical activity to our exposure to toxins in our environment.

Many common diseases and conditions are partly hereditary, which is why our researchers also study genes to understand the underlying causes of diseases. Through this work, they hope to find new ways to prevent and treat diseases in the future.