Abstract
Obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease which is caused by fat deposition in the liver have become global epidemics that cause much morbidity and mortality. Few effective treatments exist for these diseases in part due to a poor understanding of their pathophysiology. I will describe how we are using genome wide association analyses combined with gene and network based analyses to uncover the biological causes of these diseases. I will describe efforts to narrow down causal variants and genes at associated loci and determine their genetic and molecular mechanisms of action computationally and in model systems. Finally, I will describe the opportunities and challenges associated with using these new discoveries to define disease sub-types and develop actionable medical recommendations for patients suffering from these diseases.