saroja@unc.edu
704-250-5009
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Saroja Voruganti, PhD
Director of Clinical Research Core, Professor of Nutrition
Dr. Saroja Voruganti, Professor of Nutrition, is working on building a nationally and internationally recognized research program in nutritional genomics at UNC. A unique field, nutritional genomics seeks to identify genetic susceptibility to diseases, effect of genetic variation on nutrient metabolism and the effect of nutrients on gene expression. She has extensively investigated the interplay between nutritional and genetic factors influencing disease risk in ethnically diverse populations, especially minority populations such as Mexican American, American Indian, Alaska Native, Parsi Zoroastrian and Hispanic children populations. Her research is focused on uncovering new connections between genetics, nutrition, and epidemiology that can lead to more accurate determination disease risk and new treatment options for metabolic diseases. The key areas of her research program include:
- Gene-nutrient interactions affecting purine metabolism and related neurodegenerative diseases
- Genetic and environmental factors affecting complex diseases such as obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes in ethnically diverse populations
NRI seeks volunteers to help make research discoveries
June 3, 2019 -The UNC Nutrition Research Institute (NRI) in Kannapolis, North Carolina is looking for volunteers to help move science forward. The NRI’s mission is to advance the field of precision nutrition by investigating how genetics, gut microbiota, and environment affect an individual’s requirements for and responses to nutrients. To that end, several NRI principal investigators are currently recruiting participants for their clinical studies.
October Faculty Focus: Saroja Voruganti, PhD
October 17, 2018 – Saroja Voruganti, PhD, has covered a lot of ground in her journey to becoming a faculty researcher in nutrition, genetics, and epidemiology at the UNC Nutrition Research Institute. Born into a traditional south Indian family, she grew up in Delhi in northern India where she graduated with an undergraduate degree in nutrition. Then she married and moved to western India. Even as she focused on marriage, home, and raising a family in the traditional Indian way of life, she kept alive her dream of pursuing advanced studies and contributing outside of family life.
Genetic Factors in Determining Bone Mass
June 29, 2018 – Osteoporosis is a serious public health concern and causes significant economic burden. Currently, about 54 million people in the United States have osteoporosis or low bone mass. It is projected that by 2025, the incidences of bone fracture will be 3 million, resulting in about $25 billion in medical costs each year. Among different ethnicities, Hispanics are estimated to have the most rapid increase in osteoporosis burden by 2025.
Study focuses on child obesity
February 28, 2018 – Childhood obesity may no longer be a new concept, but the prevalence is higher than ever, and statistics show that Cabarrus County sits above the national and state averages for kids who are dangerously overweight.
An ongoing study at the N.C. Research Campus in Kannapolis hopes to take a dive into children’s health and nutrition and what might lead some to gain excess weight and others not to. The children’s health study is currently looking for children and their families to participate.