Aging is the primary risk factor for many chronic diseases, late life multimorbidity, and mortality. As a result of improvements in living conditions and medical treatment, life expectancy has significantly increased worldwide, leading to a rapidly growing number of older, but not necessarily healthier individuals. Considering the socioeconomic and health care-related challenges that arise from aging populations, research into mechanisms that may promote the ability to avoid, postpone, or overcome age-related disease is highly important.
The process of aging is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors, with epigenetics bridging the gap between the two. Epigenetics refers to heritable but reversible chemical and structural modifications to the genome that can influence gene activity without altering the underlying DNA sequence.
The current project focuses on the most studied type of alteration called DNA methylation. The methylation process is triggered by changes in the environment and DNA methylation patterns can be used to infer characteristics such as gene expression status and biological age. Thus, these patterns are highly relevant to our understanding of the molecular pathways underlying health in aging.
One way to bridge the current knowledge gap is by investigating centenarians who are known for their tendency to compress morbidity until the very end of their lives. This rare group appears to possess an intrinsic resilience to typical age-related decline which is higher than that of the general population. Previous smaller studies also reflect that extreme long-livers exhibit favourable DNA methylation profiles and have a suppressed expression of disease-promoting genes compared to younger individuals. Thus, centenarians have been proposed as a model of successful aging.
Aim
This project aims to explore the epigenetic profiles of what is likely the biggest centenarian-based methylation study to date. The study population moreover comprises three consecutive birth cohorts, allowing for additional investigation of birth cohort differences and environmental influence on health and survival.
Data
The study population comprises centenarians from the Danish 1895, 1905, and 1915 Birth Cohort Studies.
Funding
Novo Nordisk Foundation and Faculty Scholarship.
Main supervisor
- Associate Professor Marianne Nygaard (EBB/SDU)
Co-supervisors
- Professor Kaare Christensen (EBB/SDU)
- Professor Qihua Tan (EBB/SDU)
- Associate Professor Mette Sørensen Thinggaard (EBB/SDU)