Human Biology in Focus:  Evolutionary Genomics and Diabetic Neuropathy

Join us for a dynamic lunch-hour lecture featuring two cutting-edge researchers exploring human biology from distinct yet complementary angles. This event reoccurs monthly during term-time, and will showcase the work of two to three amazing international faculty or researchers currently hosted by the University of Oregon. Coffee, tea, and a light snack will be served, bring your own lunch!

• Carolina de Lima Adam (Institute of Ecology and Evolution)
  Insights into primate evolution through genomic Tandem Repeats
  Carolina will delve into how rapidly evolving DNA sequences—tandem repeats—shed light on recent evolutionary changes between humans and chimpanzees, revealing patterns of genetic conservation and selection.

• Mathew Varre (Department of Human Physiology)
  Diabetic Neuropathy: Can you diagnose it earlier?
  Mathew will discuss innovative approaches to diagnosing diabetic neuropathy earlier, using biomechanical analysis and wearable technology to prevent complications like foot ulcers and amputations.

Dr. Mathew Sunil Varre is a Research Associate in the Department of Human Physiology. Prior to joining UO, he was a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Washington and Center for Limb Loss and Mobility at the Veterans Affairs Hospital Puget Sound. He has Master of Science degrees in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Mechanical Engineering from the University of Kansas.

Mathew’s primary research interests are aging-related diseases and how they affect walking and balance using biomechanical principles and wearable technology. His doctoral and postdoctoral work focused on the progression of diabetes-related foot complications and design and testing of 3-D printed insoles for people with diabetes. His work has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Diabetes Care, Clinical Biomechanics, Gait & Posture, and Sensors.  His future research interests in this area are to develop early diagnostic tools to prevent diabetes-related foot complications such as foot ulcers and amputations and providing patient-specific interventions.

Dr. Carolina de Lima Adam is a postdoctoral researcher in the Rohlfs Lab at the Institute of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Oregon. Originally from southern Brazil, she earned her bachelor's degree in Biology from a small liberal arts college before pursuing graduate studies at the Federal University of Paraná. There, she completed both her master’s degree (2017) and Ph.D. (2022) in Zoology, focusing on evolutionary biology and genomics.

During her doctoral studies, Carolina broadened her research experience through a six-month internship at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology. In 2023, she joined the University of Oregon, where her current research explores the evolutionary dynamics of tandem repeats in primate genomes using long-read sequencing technologies. Her work combines computational biology, evolutionary theory, and molecular genetics to better understand the forces shaping genome evolution.