EUROBATS · Identifying biomarkers of ageing using whole transcriptomic sequencing

Ageing is a fundamental biological process that defines all aspects of life, yet the understanding of the basic biological interactions leading to ageing and how genetic and environmental variation contributes to this processes are still largely unknown. We propose to use the most up to date genomic and epidemiological methodologies to shed light in some of the key questions in ageing research. We will use whole transcriptome sequencing, and telomere length assays in three cell types of 855 twins for which a large set of phenotypic measurements relating to ageing are available. These datasets will be integrated with genome-wide association studies in a systems genetics framework to infer causal interactions (genetic or environmental). The combination of these unique datasets together with the expertise of the participants is likely to provide novel insights to ageing research and uncover currently unknown factors that contribute to variation in the ageing process in human populations.