Dr Kaixin Zhou received his PhD in genetics from Kings College London in 2010 and received a Sir Henry Wellcome postdoctoral fellowship to work with Prof Ewan Pearson at the University of Dundee.

His main research interest is pharmacogenomics of commonly used drugs, which aims to discover the genetic variants that determine why patients responded differently to the same drugs and who is more likely to develop adverse reactions. Using the GoDARTS and GoSHARE bioresources established in Dundee, Kaixin and colleagues have uncovered the first genetic variant that showed robust association with how well patients respond to the first line antidiabetic agent metformin. Together with other ongoing research, the discovery of genetic variants affecting drug response have the potential to guide the development of better drugs and more patient oriented treatment strategies.

Zhou, K. et al. Variation in the glucose transporter gene SLC2A2 is associated with glycemic response to metformin. Nat Genet. 48, 1055-9 (2016) Zhou, K. et al. Pharmacogenomics in diabetes mellitus: insights into drug action and drug discovery. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 12, 337-46 (2016) Zhou, K. et al. Heritability of variation in glycaemic response to metformin: a genome-wide complex trait analysis. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 2, 481-7 (2014) Zhou, K. & Pearson, E.R. Insights from genome-wide association studies of drug response. Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol 53, 299-310 (2013) Zhou, K. et al. Common variants near ATM are associated with glycemic response to metformin in type 2 diabetes. Nat Genet 43, 117-20 (2011)