GUSTO study to shed light on early developmental factors of metabolic diseases

30 Oct 2009

The team led by Assoc Prof Chong Yap Seng of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (YLLSoM) has come up with the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) Study. GUSTO is a long-term cohort study involving Singaporean mothers-to-be aimed at discovering effective prevention and early intervention strategies to reduce the burden of metabolic diseases, including Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. The Study is timely as most of the current knowledge of these diseases is from the West.

Assoc Prof Chong who is also Senior Consultant, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, National University Hospital (NUH) said: “There is good experimental, clinical and epidemiological evidence linking the pattern of early development (embryonic, fetal, neonatal) to the later risk of non-communicable disease.” He noted that the study will look into identifying epigenetic marks at birth that indicate increased risk for metabolic disease so as to tailor interventions for individuals. The researchers also plan to discover genomic regulation mechanism and molecular pathways of the disease.

Prof The Lord Robert Winston who is Professor of Science and Society, Emeritus Professor of Fertility Studies, Imperial College London, United Kingdom, shared about the importance and implications of the GUSTO study for Singapore and the world.

The study is the centrepiece of the “Developmental Origins: Singapore” programme which was awarded the S$25 million Translational and Clinical Research Flagship Grant by the National Research Foundation. To-date, 301 pregnant women from KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) and NUH have agreed to participate in the study. A total of 1,200 respondents - 200 Indians, 200 Malays and 800 Chinese - will be recruited by May 2010.

The Co-Principal Investigators are Assoc Prof Saw Seang Mei, Vice-Dean (Research, Pre-clinical), National University Health System Research Office and Assoc Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, NUS YLLSoM; Assoc Prof Kenneth Kwek, Chairman, Medical Board and Head, Department of Maternal and Fetal Medicine, KKH, as well as Prof Sir Peter Gluckman, Director of the Growth, Development and Metabolism Programme, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research.

“The research team hopes to discover effective prevention and early intervention strategies, which may be in the form of simple lifestyles, nutritional intervention or preventive drugs to reduce the burden of metabolic diseases,” noted Assoc Prof Kenneth Kwek.

Assoc Prof Saw Seang Mei said: “Important findings from our study will guide national public policy and improve the health of the population.”

Mrs Leong Mei Yin, who is expecting her second child in December this year, said that she agreed to take part in the GUSTO study as she found it beneficial. “I appreciated that during the H1N1 period, I received calls every two weeks from staff to check on my well-being,” she said. Mrs Leong added that during her first pregnancy, she also received useful pregnancy information from the staff.