Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Nov 14;64(5):2401257.
doi: 10.1183/13993003.01257-2024. Print 2024 Nov.

ERJ advances: epigenetic ageing and leveraging DNA methylation in chronic respiratory diseases

Ana I Hernandez Cordero  1   2 , Janice M Leung  3   2   4
Affiliations

ERJ advances: epigenetic ageing and leveraging DNA methylation in chronic respiratory diseases

Ana I Hernandez Cordero et al. Eur Respir J. .

Abstract

Epigenetic age is a novel biomarker utilising DNA methylation profiles that can detect accelerated biological ageing. Potential uses in respiratory disease include risk stratification for vulnerable patients and prognostication for poor clinical outcomes. https://bit.ly/3ZMTAK1

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: A.I. Hernandez Cordero reports grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and payments to their institution for research from the BC Lung Foundation. J.M. Leung reports grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and BC Lung Foundation (paid to institution, work outside of this manuscript), payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, manuscript writing, or educational events from the BC Lung Foundation (payments for participation in COPD patient forums) and the University of British Columbia (payments for continuing medical education lectures), participation on data safety monitoring boards with Enhance Quality Safety, and Patient experience in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (EQuiP COPD) (no payments), and leadership or fiduciary roles with the Canadian Respiratory Research Network and CanCOLD Study as a member of the steering committee (no payments).

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Leveraging the DNA methylome for respiratory health. Epigenetic clocks measure biological ageing. The deviation of biological from chronological age (represented by the linear plot) can represent an unhealthy state. Age acceleration (red dots) can be caused by environmental factors such as smoking, vaping, pollution, and chronic viral infections. In contrast, age deceleration (blue dots) could potentially result from lifestyle changes such as smoking cessation, a healthy diet and increased physical activity. Epigenetic clocks can be used to stratify risk for respiratory diseases, predict significant clinical outcomes, and evaluate the relationship between the exposome and lung health. Efforts to understand what might slow the ageing rate down may allow for novel therapeutics for patients with chronic respiratory diseases. Figure created using BioRender.com
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. GBD 2019 Chronic Respiratory Diseases Collaborators . Global burden of chronic respiratory diseases and risk factors, 1990–2019: an update from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. EClinicalMedicine 2023; 59: 101936. doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.101936 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Rojas M, Mora AL, Kapetanaki M, et al. . Aging and lung disease. Clinical impact and cellular and molecular pathways. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2015; 12: S222. doi:10.1513/AnnalsATS.201508-484PL - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Janssens JP, Pache JC, Nicod LP. Physiological changes in respiratory function associated with ageing. Eur Respir J 1999; 13: 197–205. doi:10.1183/09031936.99.14614549 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Reyfman PA, Washko GR, Dransfield MT, et al. . Defining impaired respiratory health. A paradigm shift for pulmonary medicine. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2018; 198: 440. doi:10.1164/rccm.201801-0120PP - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kachroo P, Morrow JD, Vyhlidal CA, et al. . DNA methylation perturbations may link altered development and aging in the lung. Aging 2021; 13: 1742–1764. doi:10.18632/aging.202544 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources