genome-wide RNA sequencing of hematopoietic stem cells
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
In developed industrialized countries, chronic age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease or type 2 diabetes, represent one of the greatest challenges for the healthcare system. Especially in long-lived individuals (centenarians), these occur only rarely. This fact can only be partially explained by genetics. In cooperation with the University of Haifa (Israel), we have succeeded in identifying typical epigenetic changes in DNA in blood stem cells of centenarians. The data will be analyzed using a software pipeline developed at IZBI. Aim of the project: Epigenetic changes are considered indicators of the individual aging process. This pipeline will be used to analyze the data so that results can be realistically expected despite the short project time frame.
These results will be incorporated into a joint application of the University of Haifa and the University of Leipzig to the German Israeli Foundation (GIF) and thus strengthen it. Further work will aim at identifying potential clinical interventions to induce properties of the centenarian epigenome in control individuals. The project will inform which of these changes support healthy aging.
project leader at IZBI Dr. Torsten Thalheim
duration 01.07.2022 – 31.12.2022
joint project / third-party founding Universitätsstiftung Leipzig