Research Program. Precision Nutrition and Obesity

Nutritional Genomics and Epigenomics Group

Group leader: Prof. José María Ordovás Muñoz

Objectives: our group aims to provide genomic tools and knowledge to manage obesity and
related co-morbidites at the individual level through:

  • The identification of genetic variants predisposing to obesity.
  • The definition of how these variants interact with the diet to modulate such predisposition.
  • The understanding of the dietary modulation of the how diet is able to modulate the obesogenic epigenome.

José María Ordovás Muñoz

Director of the Precision Nutrition and Obesity Program and Group leader of the Nutritional Genomics and Epigenomics Group

José M. Ordovás, PhD, is Professor of Nutrition and Genetics and a Senior Scientist at the USDA-HNRCA at Tufts in Boston, and Director of the Nutrition and Genomics Laboratory. Dr. Ordovás graduated from the University of Zaragoza and did postdoctoral work at the MIT, Harvard and Tufts. He has published over 700 scientific articles in peer review journals (h-index 92) and written numerous reviews and books. In this regard, he is considered one of the most distinguished world experts in gene-diet interactions related to cardiovascular traits. Throughout his career, Dr. Ordovás has received multiple honors for his scientific achievements. He has been awarded an honorary degree in Medicine from the University of Córdoba in Spain and he is Member of the Royal Academies of Sciences, Medicine, Nutrition and Pharmacy. 

Email: jose.ordovas@imdea.org 
Phone: +34 91 727 81 00

Students

Alba Cano Bustos

Irene Aparicio

Sara Díaz Albaízar

María Hernando Fernández 

María Bravo Garrido 

                                  

most relevant publications

  • Westerman K, Sebastiani P, Jacques P, Liu S, DeMeo D, Ordovás JM. DNA methylation modules associate with incident cardiovascular disease and cumulative risk factor exposure. Clin Epigenetics. 2019 Oct 15;11(1):142. doi: 10.1186/s13148-019-0705-2. PubMed PMID: 31615550; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6792327.

  • Sandoval-Insausti H, Blanco-Rojo R, Graciani A, López-García E, Moreno-Franco B, Laclaustra M, Donat-Vargas C, Ordovás JM, Rodríguez-Artalejo F, Guallar-Castillón P. Ultra-processed Food Consumption and Incident Frailty: A prospective Cohort Study of Older Adults. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2019 May 27. pii: glz140. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glz140. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 31132092. 

  • Guevara-Cruz M, Medina-Vera I, Flores-López A, Aguilar-López M, Smith CE, Parnell LD, Lee YC, Lai CQ, Tovar AR, Ordovás JM, Torres N. Development of a Genetic Score to Predict an Increase in HDL Cholesterol Concentration After a Dietary Intervention in Adults with Metabolic Syndrome. J Nutr. 2019 Jul 1;149(7):1116-1121. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxz060. PubMed PMID: 31070756.

  • Jiménez-Lucena R, Camargo A, Alcalá-Diaz JF, Romero-Baldonado C, Luque RM, van Ommen B, Delgado-Lista J, Ordovás JM, Pérez-Martínez P, Rangel-Zúñiga OA, López-Miranda J. A plasma circulating miRNAs profile predicts type 2 diabetes mellitus and prediabetes: from the CORDIOPREV study. Exp Mol Med. 2018 Dec 26;50(12):168. doi: 10.1038/s12276-018-0194-y. PubMed PMID: 30598522; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6312530.

  • Corella D, Coltell O, Portolés O, Sotos-Prieto M, Fernández-Carrión R, Ramirez-Sabio JB, Zanón Moreno V, Mattei J, Sorlí JV, Ordovas JM. A Guide to Applying the Sex-Gender Perspective to Nutritional Genomics. Nutrients. 2018 Dec 20;11(1). pii: E4. doi: 10.3390/nu11010004. Review. PubMed PMID: 30577445; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6357147.
main research grants

Principal Investigator: Lidia Daimiel Ruiz
Project Title: PREDIMED+DM: Effect of a hypocaloric Mediterranean diet and physical activity promotion on the prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus in subjects with the Metabolic Syndrome
Date: 2018-2020
Funded by: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI17/000508)

___________

Participant Investigator: Jose María Ordovás Muñoz
Project Title: Interindividual variation in response to consumption of plant food bioactives and determinants involved (COST Action-POSITIVe)
Date: 2014-2018
Funded by: European Union 7th Framework Program. European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST Action FA 1403)

___________

Participant Investigator: Jose María Ordovás Muñoz
Project Title: Application of new technologies and tools to nutrition research-the example of phenotypic flexibility (NUTRITECH)
Date: 2011-2016
Funded by: European Union 7th Framework Program. (FP7- KBBE-2011-5)

___________

Participant Investigator: Jose María Ordovás Muñoz
Project Title: Effect of extra virgin olive oil on plasma miRNA levels in healthy subjects: a postprandial study. Association with the cardiovascular benefi ts associate to olive oil intake. Detection of exogenous miRNAs
Date: 2013-2015
Funded by: Fundación Salud 2000

___________

Principal Investigator: Jose María Ordovás Muñoz
Project Title: Effect of beer consumption on circulating levels of microRNAs in relation to cardiovascular disease. Beer exogenous microRNAs as cardiovascular health effectors (micRoBeer)
Date: 2014-2015
Funded by: Fundación Cerveza y Salud

___________