Research

My career in Animal Genomics began during my Ph.D. studies in 2007, and over the past 17 years, I have seen biotechnology make significant strides, particularly in sequencing and gene editing technologies. My prior experience as a geneticist has equipped me to address complex traits and health issues in livestock animals and the Hawaii community. At present, I am engaged in several research projects below:

1. Impacts of climate change on cattle production: the climate in Hawaii is incredibly diverse, spanning ten of the world’s 14 climate zones from tropical rainforest to desert and tundra. My team aims to identify adaptive alleles and regulatory variants related to climate variability in cattle. The goal is to select and breed climatically resilient cattle and potentially engineer the genome of beef cattle to adapt to warming climates. Additionally, we are genetically analyzing the impacts of meat quality influenced by climate change to produce high-quality meat products for human consumption.

2. Epigenetics study of thermal tolerance in Pacific White Shrimp: The aquaculture industry faces a significant challenge due to the adverse impacts of rising ocean temperatures, a consequence of global climate change. This warming has a detrimental effect on the health and performance of Pacific White Shrimp, particularly in Hawaii, which is a major shrimp broodstock producer. In response to the global climate crisis, our project investigates the genetic mechanisms of heat stress on shrimp growth and oil production. We aim to identify potential biomarkers for heat stress and thermal tolerance in Pacific White Shrimp. This research will significantly enhance our understanding of shrimp physiology, ultimately contributing to improved breeding and selection processes.

3. Impacts of maternal nutrition on offspring's health: Evidence suggests that nutrient availability during pregnancy can imprint epigenetic marks in offspring, supporting the idea that "we are what we eat, but also what our parents ate." However, controlled animal experiments are needed to understand how maternal food supply during pregnancy influences offspring epigenetics and health outcomes. My team aims to investigate the extent to which maternal exposure potentially influences variations in epigenetic changes such as methylation levels between individuals using a mouse model. This research could link to maternal obesity and/or offspring's health conditions.

Through my past and current research programs, I have progressed from Phenotype to Genotype Profiling, and finally, to Function, with an interest in integrating omics data to investigate interactions between genetics and the environment in animals and humans. My ultimate goal is to answer the question of how organisms genetically/epigenetically respond to environmental changes and eventually adapt to them.