Award details

To study and manipulate heterogeneous epigenetic states that operate during ageing

Reference	BBS/E/B/000C0425
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Dr Gavin Kelsey
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors	Dr Maria Casanueva, Dr Myriam Hemberger, Dr Jonathan Houseley, Professor Wolf Reik, Dr Peter Rugg-Gunn
Institution	Babraham Institute
Department	Babraham Institute Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	3,106,142
Status	Current
Type	Institute Project
Start date	01/04/2017
End date	31/03/2023
Duration	59 months

Abstract

A central debate in ageing research is whether ageing is simply due to wear and tear, or to a hard coded ageing programme in our genes. While a decline in cellular and organismal functions with age might suggest the former, the large variability observed in the lifespans of closely related species may support the hypothesis that ageing is a regulated process. A number of biomarkers of ageing have been identified, such as telomere erosion and p16 expression. In mammals, ageing is accompanied by global changes in DNA methylation, characterised by global hypomethylation and focal hypermethylation (mainly of CpG islands). Recently, a “clock” was described that can predict human chronological age based on specific changes at a discrete set of CpG sites throughout the genome65. This (DNAm) clock has since been shown not only to predict chronological age ±3.6 years but also biological age, providing a potential measure of an organism’s health in the context of its chronological age. For example, the clock of the liver “ticks” faster in individuals with fatty liver disease. Some organs however such as the cerebellum and potentially the placenta show a different methylation age trajectory.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Not funded via Committee
Research Topics	Ageing
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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