Research

We are designing and conducting epidemiological studies, and are analyzing the resulting data to gain insights into human physiology and the pathophysiology of complex traits and diseases, with a special focus on kidney and metabolic diseases. For this purpose, we combine population-scale genetic and epigenetic data with clinical information and biomarkers such as metabolites and proteins by applying and developing data analysis methods. We seek to validate our findings through replication studies, simulation, and experimentally together with our wet-lab collaborators.

Ten most important publications

• Coupling of metabolomics and exome sequencing reveals graded effects of rare damaging heterozygous variants on gene function and human traits and diseases. Scherer N, Faessler D, Borisov O, …, Hertel J, Köttgen A. Nat Genet, in press (2024).
• Genetic studies of paired metabolomes reveal enzymatic and transport processes at the interface of plasma and urine. Schlosser P., Scherer N., Grundner-Culeman F., …, Li Y., Köttgen A. Nat Genet, 55(6):995-1008 (2023).
• Genetic Studies of Urinary Metabolites Illuminate Mechanisms of Detoxification and Excretion in Humans. Schlosser P, Li Y, Sekula P, Raffler J, Grundner-Culemann F, Pietzner M, Cheng Y, Wuttke M, Steinbrenner I, Schultheiss UT, Kotsis F, Kacprowski T, Forer L, Hausknecht B, Ekici AB, Nauck M, Völker U; GCKD Investigators, Walz G, Oefner PJ, Kronenberg F, Mohney RP, Köttgen M, Suhre K, Eckardt KU, Kastenmüller G, Köttgen A (2020) Nat Genet, 52(2):167-176
• Target genes, variants, tissues and transcriptional pathways influencing human serum urate levels. Tin A, Marten J, Halperin Kuhns VL, Li Y, Wuttke M, Kirsten H, …, Hung AM, Teumer A, Pattaro C, Woodward OM, Vitart V, Köttgen A (2019) Nat Genet, 51(10):1459-1474
• A catalogue of genetic targets for kidney function from analyses of a million individuals. Wuttke M, Li Y, Li M, Sieber KB, Feitosa MF, Gorski M, ..., Heid IM, Scholz M, Teumer A, Köttgen A*, Pattaro C* (2019) Nat Genet, 51(6):957-972
• Genome-wide association analyses identify 18 new loci associated with serum urate concentrations. Köttgen A, Albrecht E, Teumer A, Vitart V, Krumsiek J, …, Caulfield M, Bochud M, Gieger C (2013) Nat Genet, 45(2):145-154
• Human metabolic individuality in biomedical and pharmaceutical research. Suhre K, Shin SY, Petersen AK, Mohney RP, Meredith D, Wagele B, Altmaier E, Deloukas P, Erdmann J, Grundberg E, Hammond CJ, de Angelis MH, Kastenmuller G, Köttgen A, Kronenberg F, Mangino M, Meisinger C, Meitinger T, Mewes HW, Milburn MV, Prehn C, Raffler J, Ried JS, Romisch-Margl W, Samani NJ, Small KS, Wichmann HE, Zhai G, Illig T, Spector TD, Adamski J, Soranzo N, Gieger C (2011) Nature, 477(7362):54-60
• New loci associated with kidney function and chronic kidney disease.Köttgen A, Pattaro C, Boger CA, Fuchsberger C, …, Kao WH, Heid IM, Fox CS (2010) Nat Genet, 42(5):376-384
• Identification of a novel urate transporter, ABCG2, with a common functional polymorphism causing gout. Woodward OM*, Köttgen A*, Coresh J, Boerwinkle E, Guggino WB, Köttgen M (2009) Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 106(25):10338-42
• Multiple loci associated with indices of renal function and chronic kidney disease. Köttgen A, Glazer NL, Dehghan A, Hwang SJ, …, Witteman JC, Coresh J, Shlipak MG, Fox CS (2009). Nat Genet, 41(6):712-717.

(*shared first/corresponding author)