Tanisi Singh
Class of 2029Dublin 13, Dublin
About
I'm a Transition Year student at Sutton Park School in Dublin with a long-standing interest in medicine and human biology. I became interested in this project because DNA methylation offered a way to look beyond genetics and understand how disease risk develops at a molecular level, something I found especially compelling in the context of Type 2 diabetes, given how common and preventable it often is. This ties into a broader curiosity I have about how modern life itself shapes disease: how factors like diet, urbanization, and lifestyle change over time have influenced the rise and progression of conditions like T2D, and how the body adapts, or fails to adapt, to those shifts. IProjects
- "The Role of DNA Methylation in Type 2 Diabetes (T2D)" with mentor Cigdem (Oct. 11, 2025)
Project Portfolio
The Role of DNA Methylation in Type 2 Diabetes (T2D)
Started July 9, 2025
Abstract or project description
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a growing global health concern, yet much of the public and even student researchers overlook a key contributor to its development: epigenetics. This review examines how DNA methylation, an epigenetic mechanism that regulates gene expression without altering the underlying DNA sequence, influences the onset and progression of T2D. Specifically, it explores how methylation patterns affect genes involved in blood sugar regulation, contributing to insulin resistance and pancreatic β-cell dysfunction. By drawing on current literature, this paper reviews evidence linking altered methylation changes to disease risk and progression, while making the underlying molecular concepts accessible to readers new to epigenetics. Beyond summarizing existing findings, this review identifies gaps in current research and outlines directions for future study, with the broader goal of informing strategies for early detection and prevention of Type 2 diabetes.