EpigenHome · Cognitive, neuroimaging and epigenetic insights into how housing adequacy influences Alzheimer's disease risk

As Alzheimer's disease (AD) cases are projected to triple to 153 million by 2050, identifying modifiable risk factors is crucial for prevention. While 273 million Europeans face inadequate housing conditions, the impact of housing adequacy on AD risk is poorly understood, even though we spend two-thirds of our time at home. EpigenHome will develop open-source robust tools to study how inadequate housing influences cognitive decline and neurodegeneration, and to understand the biological pathways through which housing affects AD risk. The project has three objectives: (1) develop the Home Adequacy Index scale to identify key housing exposures related to cognitive decline; (2) identify AD-related brain regions and networks vulnerable to inadequate housing; (3) create EpigenHomeScore, a DNA methylation-based biomarker to reveal biological pathways linking housing to brain health. Current research is limited to binary housing variables, lacks longitudinal cognitive data, and provides no insight into biological mechanisms. Although markers of epigenetic aging are related to housing factors and cognitive impairment, no exposure-specific epigenetic biomarkers exist for housing adequacy. This prevents understanding of how our built environment becomes biologically embedded to influence AD risk. I will complete academic research at Trinity College Dublin (months 1-24) where I will leverage a unique dataset (The Irish Longitudinal Study of Ageing) of 6,397 older adults with detailed housing, cognitive, neuroimaging, and epigenetic data. In a Non-Academic Placement at the Housing Agency (months 25-30), I will then translate these findings into policy briefings for Irish government departments, creating a direct pathway from research to housing policy reform. This intersectoral approach will enhance skills in housing research, neuroimaging, epigenomics, and policy development and establish me as a leader bridging social epidemiology, neurology, and policy in AD research.