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Sirui Zhou

Postdoctoral fellow in Human Genetics
McGill University

Award-winning publication: Genetic architecture and adaptations of Nunavik Inuit

Published in: PNAS
 

Abstract

Isolation renders Nunavik Inuit more vulnerable to environmental changes that can lead to particular health implications for community members. In addition, there is only a limited number of genetic studies on the Inuit population. Sirui Zhou carried out exome and whole genome sequencing to analyze the genetic characteristics of 170 Nunavik Inuit. Her findings reveal that Nunavik Inuit constitute a population with its very own genetic signature in terms of lipid metabolism and cell adhesion—occurrences that may stem from adaptation to a high-fat diet and northern Québec’s extreme cold.