Ageing has become a remarkable public health issue worldwide: by 2050, the proportion of the world's population over 60 years will reach 22%. The prevalence of age-related diseases is increasing along with the global life expectancy, adding a substantial burden to individuals and society. Conditions such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, type-2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, intervertebral disc degeneration and dementia and cancers are now among our most common causes of late-life morbidity and mortality, causing substantial loss of healthy years and premature deaths. Most age-related diseases are highly complex, influenced by both genetic and environmental factors and interactions between the two. Risk and protective factors of ageing-related illnesses can act through the same genetic and ecological factors yet invoke different biological pathways.
Accumulating evidence points towards the interplay between genetic and environmental risk factors (e.g. life stress, pollution, socioeconomic status) in health and disease, where genetic predispositions may make specific subgroups of individuals more susceptible or resistant to environmental insults. Epigenetic factors may be important links between environmental factors and gene expression. Epigenetic studies have made substantial contributions in this field by highlighting genes and pathways where methylation variation plays its role and demonstrating accelerated ageing using epigenetic clocks.
This research topic aims to collect the most recent advancements in the interplay of environmental factors and genetic and epigenetic research in ageing-related diseases. We welcome high-quality, original research articles and review articles focusing on improving the current knowledge in this field and introducing novel applications in ageing-diseases biomarkers, clinical subgroups or molecular biological mechanism studies. The most relevant papers will be those which focus on the key areas below:
1. Identification of environmental factors and their impact on gene expressions and epigenetic modifications.
2. Novel findings on the interplay of environmental factors and genetic and epigenetic ageing diseases and cancers.
3. New insights on epigenetics (noncoding RNAs, methylation and acetylation) associated with ageing diseases and cancers.
4. New insights about the molecular basis of ageing diseases.
5. Clinical utility and molecular risk factors affecting the diagnosis and prognosis of ageing diseases and cancers.
Ageing has become a remarkable public health issue worldwide: by 2050, the proportion of the world's population over 60 years will reach 22%. The prevalence of age-related diseases is increasing along with the global life expectancy, adding a substantial burden to individuals and society. Conditions such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, type-2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, intervertebral disc degeneration and dementia and cancers are now among our most common causes of late-life morbidity and mortality, causing substantial loss of healthy years and premature deaths. Most age-related diseases are highly complex, influenced by both genetic and environmental factors and interactions between the two. Risk and protective factors of ageing-related illnesses can act through the same genetic and ecological factors yet invoke different biological pathways.
Accumulating evidence points towards the interplay between genetic and environmental risk factors (e.g. life stress, pollution, socioeconomic status) in health and disease, where genetic predispositions may make specific subgroups of individuals more susceptible or resistant to environmental insults. Epigenetic factors may be important links between environmental factors and gene expression. Epigenetic studies have made substantial contributions in this field by highlighting genes and pathways where methylation variation plays its role and demonstrating accelerated ageing using epigenetic clocks.
This research topic aims to collect the most recent advancements in the interplay of environmental factors and genetic and epigenetic research in ageing-related diseases. We welcome high-quality, original research articles and review articles focusing on improving the current knowledge in this field and introducing novel applications in ageing-diseases biomarkers, clinical subgroups or molecular biological mechanism studies. The most relevant papers will be those which focus on the key areas below:
1. Identification of environmental factors and their impact on gene expressions and epigenetic modifications.
2. Novel findings on the interplay of environmental factors and genetic and epigenetic ageing diseases and cancers.
3. New insights on epigenetics (noncoding RNAs, methylation and acetylation) associated with ageing diseases and cancers.
4. New insights about the molecular basis of ageing diseases.
5. Clinical utility and molecular risk factors affecting the diagnosis and prognosis of ageing diseases and cancers.