SBIMB<\/a>) who was awarded the prestigious Wellcome fellowship.<\/p>\n![\"Wellcome](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Wellcome "\\"Wellcome")
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This dual burden of the diseases is particularly challenging, says Chebii, as one condition may exacerbate the other. Those who live with poor mental health face an increased risk of developing cardiometabolic diseases and vice versa.<\/p>\n
The Wellcome fellowship therefore enables Chebii to uncover whether one possible gene in African populations can affect multiple disorders, like depression and cardiometabolic diseases. Emerging studies\u00a0 show they share biological mechanisms such as disrupted stress pathways, circadian rhythm chaos and chronic inflammation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis fellowship will fill an important gap in our research. It provides a crucial foundation for future studies exploring genetic traits across multiple conditions, ultimately paving the way for better clinical care,\u201d says Chebii.<\/p>\n
This study will focus on African populations, where genomic research remains sparse despite the continent\u2019s rich diversity. Harnessing Africa\u2019s genetic diversity can provide critical insights into the foundations of complex diseases, benefiting humanity at large.<\/p>\n
Globally, 350 million people live with depression or bipolar disorder, while a staggering 2.5 billion are affected by conditions like diabetes and hypertension.<\/p>\n
With additional research, more inclusive, precise and effective therapeutic strategies can be implemented. In particular, targeting \u201cpleiotropic\u201d mechanisms for the treatment of multiple conditions is possible. Pleiotropy is where a single gene influences multiple, seemingly unrelated, phenotypic traits.<\/p>\n
Chebii notes that rapid urbanisation is driving a surge in both, but that mental health remains underdiagnosed, underfunded and affected by stigma.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Kenya, where I come from, one in two people with diabetes also suffer from depression. Yet we continue to study and treat these conditions in silos.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
Beyond co-occurrence, these conditions amplify each other\u2019s impact and overwhelm families and strain already-fragile health systems. Chebii\u2019s research underscores the possibility and importance of integrated healthcare approaches to manage interconnected conditions.<\/p>\n
Professor Mich\u00e8le Ramsay<\/a>, Director of the SBIMB, explains that while the diseases share key risk factors, such as lifestyle and environment, \u201cthere is a genetic foundation we don\u2019t fully understand. Africa carries the richest genetic diversity in the world and faces an alarming rise in dual-disease burdens. Dr Chebii\u2019s study is timely and urgent.\u201d<\/p>\nChebii\u2019s winning study, Shared Genetics of Cardiometabolic and Mood Disorders: African Genomic Insights, will run for five years. The fellowship also allows for local research capacity development.<\/p>\n
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28 August 2025 – Wits University
Dr Vivien Chebii receives Wellcome Early Career…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":117325,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[200,79],"class_list":{"0":"post-117324","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-genetics","8":"tag-genetics","9":"tag-science"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117324"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117324\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/117325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}