Social Circumstances and Epigenomics Promoting Health in Three Countries
Lead Research Organisation:
Queen's University Belfast
Department Name: UNLISTED
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Technical Summary
"This project proposes an integrated set of aims and analyses of existing social and epigenetic data
from three national studies of aging in the family of Health and Retirement studies (the US Health
and Retirement Study (HRS), the Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing
(NICOLA), and the Irish Longitudinal Study of Aging (TILDA)); assays of existing samples to produce
longitudinal epigenetic data for the three countries are also proposed. Comparative analyses based
on these data will address central questions about how life circumstances in both childhood and
adulthood affect epigenetic change and how different historical and life-course exposures in these
countries may result in differential patterns of associations. The project will also examine how
epigenetic changes in turn are associated with health after age 50. The proposal is submitted in
response to the US-Ireland Research and Development Partnership, a unique research initiative
involving funding agencies from the United States (US), the Republic of Ireland (RofI), and Northern
Ireland (NI). Proposals are submitted to each of the three countries with funding requested for each
country's participation from their respective grant agency (e.g., US NIH); grant review is done only by
NIH for all three projects based on this proposal. The project will examine the links between lifetime
social, economic, psychological, environmental and behavioral circumstances, and epigenetic
markers related to aging and health, and subsequent health. Epigenetic modification is one of the
āhallmarksā of aging, i.e. an underlying physiological change that can speedup or delay aging-related
health outcomes. Faster aging is characteristic of people in adverse social circumstances and
epigenetic change, particularly DNA methylation (DNAm), appears to be especially influenced by
adverse social circumstances, both at early ages and at later ages. This project will be unique in
evaluating how a variety of social circumstances, i.e. low levels of education and income, minority
group membership, adverse childhood experiences, adult traumas, risky health behaviors,
psychological states, and chronic stress, are associated with epigenetic markers in three different
countries, with somewhat different historical, social and behavioral characteristics which are
operating in different health policy regimes ā allowing for both replication where effects are
hypothesized to be similar and differentiation where they are hypothesized to differ (e.g., where risk
characteristics are differentially patterned by SES). The applicants are uniquely placed with their
resources to explore how socioeconomic experiences across the life course alter epigenetic profiles
to influence health outcomes such as biological dysregulation, frailty, disability, chronic disease, and
premature mortality. The three data sets have been harmonized for information collection from the
beginning of the studies and were designed to encourage comparative analysis. They have been
harmonized in the survey information and the development of the epigenetic data in the three
countries. Each country has strong independent research teams who bring unique expertise and
resources and a history of collaboration to this collaborative proposal."
from three national studies of aging in the family of Health and Retirement studies (the US Health
and Retirement Study (HRS), the Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing
(NICOLA), and the Irish Longitudinal Study of Aging (TILDA)); assays of existing samples to produce
longitudinal epigenetic data for the three countries are also proposed. Comparative analyses based
on these data will address central questions about how life circumstances in both childhood and
adulthood affect epigenetic change and how different historical and life-course exposures in these
countries may result in differential patterns of associations. The project will also examine how
epigenetic changes in turn are associated with health after age 50. The proposal is submitted in
response to the US-Ireland Research and Development Partnership, a unique research initiative
involving funding agencies from the United States (US), the Republic of Ireland (RofI), and Northern
Ireland (NI). Proposals are submitted to each of the three countries with funding requested for each
country's participation from their respective grant agency (e.g., US NIH); grant review is done only by
NIH for all three projects based on this proposal. The project will examine the links between lifetime
social, economic, psychological, environmental and behavioral circumstances, and epigenetic
markers related to aging and health, and subsequent health. Epigenetic modification is one of the
āhallmarksā of aging, i.e. an underlying physiological change that can speedup or delay aging-related
health outcomes. Faster aging is characteristic of people in adverse social circumstances and
epigenetic change, particularly DNA methylation (DNAm), appears to be especially influenced by
adverse social circumstances, both at early ages and at later ages. This project will be unique in
evaluating how a variety of social circumstances, i.e. low levels of education and income, minority
group membership, adverse childhood experiences, adult traumas, risky health behaviors,
psychological states, and chronic stress, are associated with epigenetic markers in three different
countries, with somewhat different historical, social and behavioral characteristics which are
operating in different health policy regimes ā allowing for both replication where effects are
hypothesized to be similar and differentiation where they are hypothesized to differ (e.g., where risk
characteristics are differentially patterned by SES). The applicants are uniquely placed with their
resources to explore how socioeconomic experiences across the life course alter epigenetic profiles
to influence health outcomes such as biological dysregulation, frailty, disability, chronic disease, and
premature mortality. The three data sets have been harmonized for information collection from the
beginning of the studies and were designed to encourage comparative analysis. They have been
harmonized in the survey information and the development of the epigenetic data in the three
countries. Each country has strong independent research teams who bring unique expertise and
resources and a history of collaboration to this collaborative proposal."
Organisations
- Queen's University Belfast (Lead Research Organisation)
- Thermo Fisher Scientific (Collaboration)
- University of Nantes (Collaboration)
- Administrative Data Research Centre for Northern Ireland (Collaboration)
- Translink (Belfast) (Collaboration)
- Life Path Trust (Collaboration)
- Alpha Housing (Collaboration)
- NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY (Collaboration)
- University of Fribourg (Collaboration)
- BELFAST CITY COUNCIL (Collaboration)
- Alzheimer's Society (Collaboration)
- AECOM Technology Corporation (Collaboration)
- Abbeyfield (Collaboration)
- University of Southern California (Collaboration)
- Anaeko (Collaboration)
- University of Michigan (Collaboration)
- Global Lipids Genetic Consortium (GLGC) (Collaboration)
- University of Minnesota (Collaboration)
- Yale University (Collaboration)
- World Health Organization (WHO) (Collaboration)
- The Paul Hogarth Company (Collaboration)
- Australian Catholic University (Collaboration)
- University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) (Collaboration)
- University of Sassari (Collaboration)
- Trinity College Dublin (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE (Collaboration)
- Age UK (Collaboration)
- Eastside Partnership (Collaboration)
- Public Health Agency (PHA) (Collaboration)
- Belfast Healthy Cities (Collaboration)
- National Institutes of Health (NIH) (Collaboration)
Publications
Abdelrahman Z
(2024)
Genetic and Epigenetic Associations with Post-Transplant Diabetes Mellitus.
in Genes
Cappozzo A
(2022)
A blood DNA methylation biomarker for predicting short-term risk of cardiovascular events.
in Clinical epigenetics
CaƱadas-Garre M
(2023)
Albuminuria-Related Genetic Biomarkers: Replication and Predictive Evaluation in Individuals with and without Diabetes from the UK Biobank.
in International journal of molecular sciences
CaƱadas-Garre M
(2024)
Genetic variants affecting mitochondrial function provide further insights for kidney disease.
in BMC genomics
CaƱadas-Garre M
(2024)
Mitochondrial related variants associated with cardiovascular traits
in Frontiers in Physiology
Collins KE
(2024)
Donor genetic burden for cerebrovascular risk and kidney transplant outcome.
in Journal of nephrology
Collins KE
(2025)
Polygenic risk scores for eGFR are associated with age at kidney failure.
in Journal of nephrology
Coulter T
(2024)
Insights into the length and breadth of methodologies harnessed to study human telomeres
in Biomarker Research
| Description | Academic Vice President and Trustee, UK Kidney Association |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | . |
| Description | Accessibility and Inclusion Workshop on the Connswater Community Greenway |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/space/Whats-on/AccessibilityandInclusionWorkshopontheConnswaterCommunity... |
| Description | Founding member of the NI Rare Disease Implementation Group & working group lead |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | There have been multiple impacts of our rare disease research directly influencing policy and practice, including the implementation of new genetic tests for Northern Ireland, recommendations for transition, new care guidelines and service specifications. |
| Description | MRC and NIHR platform oversight group influencing rare disease research and clinical practice |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Member of the Life and Health Sciences Committee multidisciplinary committee of the Royal Irish Academy for the June 2022-2026 term |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| Impact | More details available here: https://www-ria-ie.queens.ezp1.qub.ac.uk/science-committees/life-and-health-sciences-committee |
| URL | https://www-ria-ie.queens.ezp1.qub.ac.uk/science-committees/life-and-health-sciences-committee |
| Description | Membership of steering group for the Rare Disease Quality Statements Project |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Research led to all deliverables noted in the NI rare disease action plan 2022 |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| Impact | Research led to all prioritised actions for delivery in this action plan. The lack of a functioning government assembly curtailed plans with no funding available to deliver on actions until February 2024. Work is ongoing developing an information hub, registry for selected rare diseases, and genomics partnership. Five working groups have been established to take forward actions, including developing educational resources, models of care, improving access to specialise resources and medicines. |
| URL | https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/RareDisease/News/NIactionplan20222023launched.html |
| Description | SMA Parliamentary Roundtable: Every Moment Matters |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| Impact | Earlier, timely genetic testing was introduced for children with symptoms of SMA, enabling them to receive life changing information. Newborn screening for SMA has been introduced as a translational research project in parts of the UK; work is ongoing to explore if newborn screening for SMA should be included as part of the UK national screening programme. |
| Description | blood spot taskforce - UK national screening committee |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Impact | Scoping reviews and translational research studies have been undertaken to identify appropriate strategies for national screening. |
| Description | contributing to implementation and monitoring of folate fortification |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| Description | A functional genomics pipeline for genetic discovery in diabetic kidney disease - GENIE |
| Amount | Ā£3,400,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | MC_PC_22005 (co-funded with NIH, SFI and NI HSC RDO STL/5586/19 under the US Ireland Scheme) |
| Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 11/2022 |
| End | 10/2027 |
| Description | Creating a Pre-Cancer Registry of people at risk of inherited cancers, to aid their surveillance and treatment |
| Amount | Ā£200,161 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 11/2024 |
| End | 04/2025 |
| Description | Developing a Northern Ireland register for inherited cardiac conditions with an epidemiological description of national population data |
| Amount | Ā£74,395 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 2023_H03 |
| Organisation | Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke Association (NICHS) |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 07/2023 |
| End | 07/2025 |
| Description | Embedding NI in the UK Ecosystem |
| Amount | Ā£173,971 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Northern Ireland Kidney Research Fund |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2025 |
| End | 01/2029 |
| Description | Establishing a NI network accelerating access to clinical trials as part of the LIFEARC rare disease trials acceleration platform (RD-TAP) |
| Amount | Ā£499,208 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | COM/5802/24 |
| Organisation | Public Health Agency (PHA) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 07/2024 |
| End | 03/2029 |
| Description | Exploring new approaches for telomere associations with kidney disease |
| Amount | Ā£2,200 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | Tiernan Coulter Summer Studentship |
| Organisation | Northern Ireland Kidney Research Fund |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 05/2023 |
| End | 08/2023 |
| Description | Identification of novel clinically actionable molecular subtypes in non-functioning pituitary neuroendocrine tumours - collaborative studentship with Illumina Cambridge Ltd |
| Amount | Ā£107,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Department for the Economy, Northern Ireland |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2023 |
| End | 09/2026 |
| Description | Irish Clinical Academic Training: An All-Ireland Integrated Training Programme for Clinical Academics |
| Amount | ā¬Ā 10,993,503 (EUR) |
| Funding ID | ICAT-2022-001 |
| Organisation | Health Research Board (HRB) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | Ireland |
| Start | 07/2022 |
| End | 07/2030 |
| Description | LifeArc Centre for Acceleration of Rare Disease Trials ("RD-TAP") -> ARDT |
| Amount | Ā£12,000,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 10747 |
| Organisation | LifeArc |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2024 |
| End | 08/2029 |
| Description | NIKRF Clinical and Non-Clinical Fellowship Awards |
| Amount | Ā£600,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Northern Ireland Kidney Research Fund |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 07/2024 |
| End | 07/2027 |
| Description | NIKRF support for collaborative Kidney PhD studentships |
| Amount | Ā£81,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 2024_PhDs |
| Organisation | Northern Ireland Kidney Research Fund |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2024 |
| End | 08/2027 |
| Description | NILAB: NI Landscape partnership in AI for Bioscience |
| Amount | Ā£4,533,440 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | NILAB |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2025 |
| End | 09/2033 |
| Description | Northern Ireland Kidney Research Fund Fellowships via QUB Foundation |
| Amount | Ā£600,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Northern Ireland Kidney Research Fund |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 07/2024 |
| End | 07/2027 |
| Description | SPACE: Supportive environments for Physical and social Activity, healthy ageing and CognitivE health |
| Amount | Ā£1,609,129 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ES/V016075/1 |
| Organisation | Economic and Social Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2021 |
| End | 02/2024 |
| Description | The LifeArc-Kidney Research UK Translational Rare Kidney Disease Centre |
| Amount | Ā£10,400,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | LifeArc |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2024 |
| End | 08/2029 |
| Description | Transforming Diabetic Kidney Disease Care: Harnessing Integrative Multi-Omics Analysis for Precision Diagnosis and Management |
| Amount | Ā£699,809 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | Application ID: 10081229 |
| Organisation | Innovate UK |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 12/2023 |
| End | 12/2025 |
| Description | Using data science to determine the best combination of factors for the diagnosis of AMD and to detect clinical change over time |
| Amount | Ā£113,860 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Macular Society |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2020 |
| End | 09/2022 |
| Title | Additional file 2 of Genetic variants affecting mitochondrial function provide further insights for kidney disease |
| Description | Supplementary Material 2. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| URL | https://springernature.figshare.com/articles/dataset/Additional_file_2_of_Genetic_variants_affecting... |
| Title | An investigation into DNA methylation patterns associated with risk preference in older individuals |
| Description | Risk preference is a complex trait governed by psycho-social, environmental and genetic determinants. We aimed to examine how an individual's risk preference associates with their epigenetic profile. Risk preferences were ascertained by asking participants of the Northern Ireland COhort for the Longitudinal study of Ageing to make a series of choices between hypothetical income scenarios. From these, four risk preference categories were derived, ranging from risk-averse to risk-seeking. Illumina's Infinium High-Density Methylation Assay was used to evaluate the status of 862,927 CpGs. Risk preference and DNA methylation data were obtained for 1,656 individuals. The distribution of single-site DNA methylation levels between risk-averse and risk-seeking individuals was assessed whilst adjusting for age, sex and peripheral white cell counts. In this discovery cohort, 55 CpGs were identified with significantly different levels of methylation (p=x10-5) between risk-averse and risk-seeking individuals when adjusting for the maximum number of covariates. No CpGs were significantly differentially methylated in any of the risk preference groups at an epigenome-wide association level (p<9x10-8) following covariate adjustment. Protein-coding genes NWD1 and LRP1 were among the genes in which the top-ranked dmCpGs were located for all analyses conducted. Mutations in these genes have previously been linked to neurological conditions. Epigenetic modifications have not previously been linked to risk-aversion using a population cohort, but may represent important biomarkers of accumulated, complex determinants of this trait. Several striking results from this study support further analysis of DNA methylation as an important link between measurable biomarkers and health behaviours. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| URL | https://tandf.figshare.com/articles/dataset/An_investigation_into_DNA_methylation_patterns_associate... |
| Title | An investigation into DNA methylation patterns associated with risk preference in older individuals |
| Description | Risk preference is a complex trait governed by psycho-social, environmental and genetic determinants. We aimed to examine how an individual's risk preference associates with their epigenetic profile. Risk preferences were ascertained by asking participants of the Northern Ireland COhort for the Longitudinal study of Ageing to make a series of choices between hypothetical income scenarios. From these, four risk preference categories were derived, ranging from risk-averse to risk-seeking. Illumina's Infinium High-Density Methylation Assay was used to evaluate the status of 862,927 CpGs. Risk preference and DNA methylation data were obtained for 1,656 individuals. The distribution of single-site DNA methylation levels between risk-averse and risk-seeking individuals was assessed whilst adjusting for age, sex and peripheral white cell counts. In this discovery cohort, 55 CpGs were identified with significantly different levels of methylation (p=x10-5) between risk-averse and risk-seeking individuals when adjusting for the maximum number of covariates. No CpGs were significantly differentially methylated in any of the risk preference groups at an epigenome-wide association level (p<9x10-8) following covariate adjustment. Protein-coding genes NWD1 and LRP1 were among the genes in which the top-ranked dmCpGs were located for all analyses conducted. Mutations in these genes have previously been linked to neurological conditions. Epigenetic modifications have not previously been linked to risk-aversion using a population cohort, but may represent important biomarkers of accumulated, complex determinants of this trait. Several striking results from this study support further analysis of DNA methylation as an important link between measurable biomarkers and health behaviours. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| URL | https://tandf.figshare.com/articles/dataset/An_investigation_into_DNA_methylation_patterns_associate... |
| Description | Camrare and RDRN & RareSummit23 |
| Organisation | University of Cambridge |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Invited speaker and panellist at Camrare / RareSummit23, within ongoing collaborations with Cambridge rare disease network as part of their rare disease research network project and our Northern Ireland RARDTAC rare disease community. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Rare Disease Research Network is a partnership project between CamRARE and the Patient Led Research Hub, funded by the National Institute for Health and Social Care Research (NIHR) and sponsored by Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The project aims to support the rare disease community in building an online network of partnerships and resources to facilitate new patient-centred research opportunities. It is being co-produced by members of the rare community, with wider engagement supported through additional outreach. |
| Impact | . |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | Collaboration with GLGC consortia |
| Organisation | Global Lipids Genetic Consortium (GLGC) |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | From the first substantial batch of NICOLA GWAS data (n=2,800 individuals) we contributed to alarge-scale mega-GWAS studies with an anticipated sample size totalling 1-2 million. This project explores multiple ancestries, imputation to deep reference panels (1000Genomes Phase 3 for all samples and the Haplotype Reference Consortium for European-ancestry samples), and focuses on lipid phenotypes (GLGC; http://lipidgenetics.org/). Data was harmonised to the GLGC (Imputed SNPs, Age; TC; LDL-C; HDL-C; TG) consortia guidelines and submitted May 2017. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The GLGC consortia have brought together international researchers worldwide to established this resource with harmonised analysis protocols and quality control. |
| Impact | . |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Collaboration with LIFEPATH |
| Organisation | Life Path Trust |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | We have agreed to submit our methylation data for ongoing analysis within the LifePath project (https://www.lifepathproject.eu/) for meta-analysis of epigenome-wide association data for SES (using education as a proxy). |
| Collaborator Contribution | The aim of the LIFEPATH project is to investigate the biological pathways underlying social differences in healthy ageing. To fulfil such a purpose, LIFEPATH members will address four specific objectives: to show that healthy ageing is an achievable goal for society, as it is already experienced by individuals of high socio-economic status (SES); to improve the understanding of the mechanisms through which healthy ageing pathways diverge by SES, by investigating life-course biological pathways using omic technologies; to examine the consequences of the current economic recession on health and the biology of ageing (and the consequent increase in social inequalities); to provide updated, relevant and innovative evidence for healthy ageing policies. |
| Impact | Aging (Albany NY) . 2019 Apr 14;11(7):2045-2070. doi: 10.18632/aging.101900. Socioeconomic position, lifestyle habits and biomarkers of epigenetic aging: a multi-cohort analysis The role of epigenetic clocks in explaining educational inequalities in mortality: a multi-cohort study and meta-analysis. Fiorito G, Pedron S, Ochoa-Rosales C, McCrory C, Polidoro S, Zhang Y, Dugué PA, Ratliff S, Zhao WN, McKay GJ, Costa G, Solinas MG, Mullan Harris K, Tumino R, Grioni S, Ricceri F, Panico S, Brenner H, Schwettmann L, Waldenberger M, Matias-Garcia PR, Peters A, Hodge A, Giles GG, Schmitz LL, Levine M, Smith JA, Liu Y, Kee F, Young IS, McGuinness B, McKnight AJ, van Meurs J, Voortman T, Kenny RA, Vineis P, Carmeli C. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2022 Feb 17:glac041. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glac041. Online ahead of print. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Collaboration with the NIA Biomarker Network |
| Organisation | National Institutes of Health (NIH) |
| Department | National Institute on Aging |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | The Biomarker Network is a National Institute of Aging sponsored project to develop an interdisciplinary group of scientists dedicated to improved measurement of biological risk for late life health outcomes in large representative samples of populations. We are participating in several studies to determine the best approach to measure and harmonise biomarker data in longitudinal / large population cohorts. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Partners bring combined expertise in biomarker measurement, analysis, harmonisation and longitudinal cohorts. |
| Impact | . |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | French KIT-GENIE biobank for kidney transplantation |
| Organisation | University of Nantes |
| Country | France |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | This is a new collaboration with Dr Sophie Limou (Feb 2024), exploring meta-analysis of the French KIT-GENIE biobank for kidney transplantation with our Belfast Transplant cohort and related studies. Belfast are keen to share learning on environmental, clinical, and sociodemographic associations with kidney disease from our recent NICOLA, SPACE, and NODAT projects. |
| Collaborator Contribution | This is a new collaboration with Dr Sophie Limou (Feb 2024), exploring meta-analysis of their donor and recipient DNA aligned to >200 biomedical features and deep phenotyping for 4,414 individuals, including 1,978 donor-recipient pairs. |
| Impact | Multidisciplinary for public health, clinical nephrology, molecular epidemiology, data science |
| Start Year | 2024 |
| Description | NIH supplement - Gateway to Global Ageing Data |
| Organisation | University of Michigan |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Developing a NIH supplement grant that extends the work of SPACE to the US and India. Our team provides the expertise in the urban environment and dementia risk. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our partners lead the Gateway for Global Ageing Data, and provide access to the US and India data. |
| Impact | We are in the process of drafting a NIH supplement grant. This is due to be submitted in May 2022. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | NIH supplement - Gateway to Global Ageing Data |
| Organisation | University of Southern California |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Developing a NIH supplement grant that extends the work of SPACE to the US and India. Our team provides the expertise in the urban environment and dementia risk. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our partners lead the Gateway for Global Ageing Data, and provide access to the US and India data. |
| Impact | We are in the process of drafting a NIH supplement grant. This is due to be submitted in May 2022. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | RD-IMAG: Rare Disease UK's International "Mirror & Action" Group |
| Organisation | Newcastle University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| PI Contribution | Founder member of the RD-IMAG, exploring UK strengths, opportunities, plans for the future European Partnership for RD research, and keeping updated on latest developments in the UK RD research scene, including the new UK RDRP, the RD Research Landscape Project led by DHSC, amongst other research commitments outlined in the action plans from devolved nations. |
| Collaborator Contribution | collaborative discussions (led by Victoria Hedley at Newcastle) on elements noted above. |
| Impact | ongoing research collaborations with funding bids submitted to LifeArc and EJP-RD. |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | SPACE - healthy ageing partners |
| Organisation | Administrative Data Research Centre for Northern Ireland |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | We led the development of the SPACE research grant. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our partners provide important expertise on health, data and ageing. |
| Impact | The successful application to the ESRC for research funding. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | SPACE - healthy ageing partners |
| Organisation | Age UK |
| Department | Age NI |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | We led the development of the SPACE research grant. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our partners provide important expertise on health, data and ageing. |
| Impact | The successful application to the ESRC for research funding. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | SPACE - healthy ageing partners |
| Organisation | Alzheimer's Society |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | We led the development of the SPACE research grant. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our partners provide important expertise on health, data and ageing. |
| Impact | The successful application to the ESRC for research funding. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | SPACE - healthy ageing partners |
| Organisation | Australian Catholic University |
| Country | Australia |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We led the development of the SPACE research grant. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our partners provide important expertise on health, data and ageing. |
| Impact | The successful application to the ESRC for research funding. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | SPACE - healthy ageing partners |
| Organisation | Belfast City Council |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | We led the development of the SPACE research grant. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our partners provide important expertise on health, data and ageing. |
| Impact | The successful application to the ESRC for research funding. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | SPACE - healthy ageing partners |
| Organisation | Belfast Healthy Cities |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | We led the development of the SPACE research grant. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our partners provide important expertise on health, data and ageing. |
| Impact | The successful application to the ESRC for research funding. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | SPACE - healthy ageing partners |
| Organisation | EastSide Partnership |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | We led the development of the SPACE research grant. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our partners provide important expertise on health, data and ageing. |
| Impact | The successful application to the ESRC for research funding. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | SPACE - healthy ageing partners |
| Organisation | Public Health Agency (PHA) |
| Department | Active Belfast Initiative |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | We led the development of the SPACE research grant. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our partners provide important expertise on health, data and ageing. |
| Impact | The successful application to the ESRC for research funding. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | SPACE - healthy ageing partners |
| Organisation | Public Health Agency (PHA) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | We led the development of the SPACE research grant. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our partners provide important expertise on health, data and ageing. |
| Impact | The successful application to the ESRC for research funding. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | SPACE - healthy ageing partners |
| Organisation | Trinity College Dublin |
| Country | Ireland |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We led the development of the SPACE research grant. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our partners provide important expertise on health, data and ageing. |
| Impact | The successful application to the ESRC for research funding. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | SPACE partners - industry and business sector |
| Organisation | AECOM Technology Corporation |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Our team led the development of the grant application and leading the research programme. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our partners provide important pathways to impact policy and practice from our research findings. |
| Impact | To date, our partners have taken part is a stakeholder survey and been involved in discussions re: research impact. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | SPACE partners - industry and business sector |
| Organisation | Abbeyfield |
| Department | Abbeyfield & Wesley Housing Association |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Our team led the development of the grant application and leading the research programme. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our partners provide important pathways to impact policy and practice from our research findings. |
| Impact | To date, our partners have taken part is a stakeholder survey and been involved in discussions re: research impact. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | SPACE partners - industry and business sector |
| Organisation | Alpha Housing |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Our team led the development of the grant application and leading the research programme. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our partners provide important pathways to impact policy and practice from our research findings. |
| Impact | To date, our partners have taken part is a stakeholder survey and been involved in discussions re: research impact. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | SPACE partners - industry and business sector |
| Organisation | Anaeko |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Our team led the development of the grant application and leading the research programme. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our partners provide important pathways to impact policy and practice from our research findings. |
| Impact | To date, our partners have taken part is a stakeholder survey and been involved in discussions re: research impact. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | SPACE partners - industry and business sector |
| Organisation | The Paul Hogarth Company |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Our team led the development of the grant application and leading the research programme. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our partners provide important pathways to impact policy and practice from our research findings. |
| Impact | To date, our partners have taken part is a stakeholder survey and been involved in discussions re: research impact. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | SPACE partners - industry and business sector |
| Organisation | Thermo Fisher Scientific |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Our team led the development of the grant application and leading the research programme. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our partners provide important pathways to impact policy and practice from our research findings. |
| Impact | To date, our partners have taken part is a stakeholder survey and been involved in discussions re: research impact. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | SPACE partners - industry and business sector |
| Organisation | Translink (Belfast) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Our team led the development of the grant application and leading the research programme. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our partners provide important pathways to impact policy and practice from our research findings. |
| Impact | To date, our partners have taken part is a stakeholder survey and been involved in discussions re: research impact. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | US-I: Population Health Laboratory, University of Fribourg, Switzerland |
| Organisation | University of Fribourg |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Cristian Carmeli at the Population Health Laboratory, University of Fribourg, Switzerland has been working with us on epigenetic meta-analysis with a focus on epigenetic clocks. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Cristian Carmeli at the Population Health Laboratory, University of Fribourg, Switzerland has been working with us on epigenetic meta-analysis with a focus on epigenetic clocks. |
| Impact | Socioeconomic position, lifestyle habits and biomarkers of epigenetic aging: a multi-cohort analysis. Fiorito G, McCrory C, Robinson O, Carmeli C, Ochoa-Rosales C, Zhang Y, Colicino E, Dugué PA, Artaud F, McKay GJ, Jeong A, Mishra PP, Nøst TH, Krogh V, Panico S, Sacerdote C, Tumino R, Palli D, Matullo G, Guarrera S, Gandini M, Bochud M, Dermitzakis E, Muka T, Schwartz J, Vokonas PS, Just A, Hodge AM, Giles GG, Southey MC, Hurme MA, Young I, McKnight AJ, Kunze S, Waldenberger M, Peters A, Schwettmann L, Lund E, Baccarelli A, Milne RL, Kenny RA, Elbaz A, Brenner H, Kee F, Voortman T, Probst-Hensch N, Lehtimäki T, Elliot P, Stringhini S, Vineis P, Polidoro S; BIOS Consortium; Lifepath consortium. Aging (Albany NY). 2019 Apr 14;11(7):2045-2070. doi: 10.18632/aging.101900. The role of epigenetic clocks in explaining educational inequalities in mortality: a multi-cohort study and meta-analysis. Fiorito G, Pedron S, Ochoa-Rosales C, McCrory C, Polidoro S, Zhang Y, Dugué PA, Ratliff S, Zhao WN, McKay GJ, Costa G, Solinas MG, Mullan Harris K, Tumino R, Grioni S, Ricceri F, Panico S, Brenner H, Schwettmann L, Waldenberger M, Matias-Garcia PR, Peters A, Hodge A, Giles GG, Schmitz LL, Levine M, Smith JA, Liu Y, Kee F, Young IS, McGuinness B, McKnight AJ, van Meurs J, Voortman T, Kenny RA, Vineis P, Carmeli C. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2022 Feb 17:glac041. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glac041. Online ahead of print. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | US-I: Trinity College Dublin |
| Organisation | Trinity College Dublin |
| Country | Ireland |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Prof McKnight is providing NICOLA data and leading the epigenetic analysis for this multicentre study |
| Collaborator Contribution | "TILDA is delighted to continue further collaboration with our US and NI colleagues in this new initiative, to better understand how life adversity impacts the epigenome and our health outcomes as we age. Our shared expertise and wealth of research available from 10 years of the TILDA study, brings a unique insight into the social circumstances and determinants of health outcomes and the possibility of modifiable risk factors. Multimorbidity, frailty, and disability remain a significant challenge for the individual, families, governments, and policymakers. We look forward to contributing our expertise alongside our international counterparts, harmonising and strengthening analytical measures, and acquiring a better understanding of how life course social circumstances influence epigenetic change and subsequent health in later life. This will provide us with new approaches for prevention, and possibly treatment." |
| Impact | The role of epigenetic clocks in explaining educational inequalities in mortality: a multi-cohort study and meta-analysis. Fiorito G, Pedron S, Ochoa-Rosales C, McCrory C, Polidoro S, Zhang Y, Dugué PA, Ratliff S, Zhao WN, McKay GJ, Costa G, Solinas MG, Mullan Harris K, Tumino R, Grioni S, Ricceri F, Panico S, Brenner H, Schwettmann L, Waldenberger M, Matias-Garcia PR, Peters A, Hodge A, Giles GG, Schmitz LL, Levine M, Smith JA, Liu Y, Kee F, Young IS, McGuinness B, McKnight AJ, van Meurs J, Voortman T, Kenny RA, Vineis P, Carmeli C. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2022 Feb 17:glac041. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glac041. Online ahead of print. Socioeconomic position, lifestyle habits and biomarkers of epigenetic aging: a multi-cohort analysis. Fiorito G, McCrory C, Robinson O, Carmeli C, Ochoa-Rosales C, Zhang Y, Colicino E, Dugué PA, Artaud F, McKay GJ, Jeong A, Mishra PP, Nøst TH, Krogh V, Panico S, Sacerdote C, Tumino R, Palli D, Matullo G, Guarrera S, Gandini M, Bochud M, Dermitzakis E, Muka T, Schwartz J, Vokonas PS, Just A, Hodge AM, Giles GG, Southey MC, Hurme MA, Young I, McKnight AJ, Kunze S, Waldenberger M, Peters A, Schwettmann L, Lund E, Baccarelli A, Milne RL, Kenny RA, Elbaz A, Brenner H, Kee F, Voortman T, Probst-Hensch N, Lehtimäki T, Elliot P, Stringhini S, Vineis P, Polidoro S; BIOS Consortium; Lifepath consortium. Aging (Albany NY). 2019 Apr 14;11(7):2045-2070. doi: 10.18632/aging.101900. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | US-I: University of California Los Angeles |
| Organisation | University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | . |
| Collaborator Contribution | Prof Seeman is providing valuable phenotyping expertise for this project. |
| Impact | . |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | US-I: University of Michigan |
| Organisation | University of Michigan |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Jessica Faul, Colter Mitchell & Kelly Bakulski at U Mich provide important skills in data collection and analysis that complement those by our local team. Prof Faul has also offered to host Dr Claire Potter (a PhD clinical trainee with our team funded under the Wellcome-HRB ICAT scheme) for a Fulbright student award. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Jessica Faul, Colter Mitchell & Kelly Bakulski at U Mich provide important skills in data collection and analysis that complement those by our local team. Prof Faul has also offered to host Dr Claire Potter (a PhD clinical trainee with our team funded under the Wellcome-HRB ICAT scheme) for a Fulbright student award. |
| Impact | . |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | US-I: University of Minnesota |
| Organisation | University of Minnesota |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We will be providing multiomic-data from NICOLA to this multi-centre project. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The University of Minnesota Advanced Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (ARDL) is a CLIA certified facility and accredited by the College of American Pathologists. ARDL is designated as a highly complex laboratory and was established in the early 1980's to support multi-centered research studies contracted by the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology of the University. This is the home department of Bharat Thyagarajan who will be generating novel data and contributing to analyses on his cohorts. |
| Impact | . |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | US-I: University of Sassari |
| Organisation | University of Sassari |
| Country | Italy |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We provide novel data and customised analysis for our NICOLA cohort - often providing summative data for meta-analyses. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Giovanni Fiorito has been analysing Lifepath cohorts and in particular the epigenetic data within TILDA, providing access to additional data for our project. |
| Impact | The role of epigenetic clocks in explaining educational inequalities in mortality: a multi-cohort study and meta-analysis. Fiorito G, Pedron S, Ochoa-Rosales C, McCrory C, Polidoro S, Zhang Y, Dugué PA, Ratliff S, Zhao WN, McKay GJ, Costa G, Solinas MG, Mullan Harris K, Tumino R, Grioni S, Ricceri F, Panico S, Brenner H, Schwettmann L, Waldenberger M, Matias-Garcia PR, Peters A, Hodge A, Giles GG, Schmitz LL, Levine M, Smith JA, Liu Y, Kee F, Young IS, McGuinness B, McKnight AJ, van Meurs J, Voortman T, Kenny RA, Vineis P, Carmeli C. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2022 Feb 17:glac041. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glac041. Online ahead of print. Socioeconomic position, lifestyle habits and biomarkers of epigenetic aging: a multi-cohort analysis. Fiorito G, McCrory C, Robinson O, Carmeli C, Ochoa-Rosales C, Zhang Y, Colicino E, Dugué PA, Artaud F, McKay GJ, Jeong A, Mishra PP, Nøst TH, Krogh V, Panico S, Sacerdote C, Tumino R, Palli D, Matullo G, Guarrera S, Gandini M, Bochud M, Dermitzakis E, Muka T, Schwartz J, Vokonas PS, Just A, Hodge AM, Giles GG, Southey MC, Hurme MA, Young I, McKnight AJ, Kunze S, Waldenberger M, Peters A, Schwettmann L, Lund E, Baccarelli A, Milne RL, Kenny RA, Elbaz A, Brenner H, Kee F, Voortman T, Probst-Hensch N, Lehtimäki T, Elliot P, Stringhini S, Vineis P, Polidoro S; BIOS Consortium; Lifepath consortium. Aging (Albany NY). 2019 Apr 14;11(7):2045-2070. doi: 10.18632/aging.101900. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | US-I: University of Southern California |
| Organisation | University of Southern California |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Prof Crimmins is PI of the USA component of this project, complementing our NI component led by Prof McKnight. This is important as it facilitates access to HRS data and multicentre datasets to complement our local NICOLA data. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Prof Crimmins is PI of the USA component of this project, complementing our NI component led by Prof McKnight. This is important as it facilitates access to HRS data and multicentre datasets to complement our local NICOLA data. |
| Impact | . |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | US-I: Yale University |
| Organisation | Yale University |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Providing summative NICOLA data for inclusion in meta-analyses. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Prof Morgan Levine is providing scripts to generate her new PC-epigenetic clocks of ageing and helping with associated data interpretation. |
| Impact | . |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | WHO Age Friendly Cities collaboration |
| Organisation | World Health Organization (WHO) |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | We provided expertise regarding stakeholder network analysis to the WHO to investigate the collaborative networks as part of the WHO Age Friendly Cities Network. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our partners provided the funding to support the stakeholder network analysis research and report development. |
| Impact | This has resulted in a WHO report and manual to guide stakeholder network analysis. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | A Palette of Possibilities: Celebrating Kidney Health |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | An afternoon filled with interactive activities and inspiring talks. Art for Healing: Learn how art is used to support kidney patients undergoing dialysis. Work alongside researchers from the QUB Renal Arts Group to create your own artwork! Science in Action: Embark on a scientific journey with QUB researchers from the Molecular Epidemiology and Public Health group. Learn about how the environment and our genetics can impact our health. Build your own candy DNA model and learn about ground-breaking research revolutionising kidney disease therapies. Community Impact: Hear from kidney disease charities, discovering their impactful work in supporting patients and families. Enjoy a blend of art, science, music, and community, leaving you inspired and informed. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://nisciencefestival.com/events/a-palette-of-possibilities-celebrating-kidney-health |
| Description | A Palette of Possibilities: Celebrating Kidney Health - NI Science Festival Public Engagement |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I organised an event that brought together charities, researchers, and the general public for an afternoon filled with interactive activities and inspiring talks. Art for Healing: Participants learned how art supports kidney patients undergoing dialysis and worked alongside researchers from the QUB Renal Arts Group to create their own artwork. Science in Action: Attendees embarked on a scientific journey with QUB researchers from the Molecular Epidemiology and Public Health group, learning about the impact of the environment and genetics on health. They built their own candy DNA models and discovered groundbreaking research revolutionising kidney disease therapies. Community Impact: Participants heard from kidney disease charities about their impactful work in supporting patients and families. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Abstract accepted - EDNSG conference - Amsterdam 2025 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Oral presentation accepted for May 2025 entitled 'Exploring accelerated biological ageing in diabetic kidney disease: Epigenetic clocks in the Northern Ireland COhort for the Longitudinal study of Ageing (NICOLA)' |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Abstract accepted - EDNSG conference - Copenhagen 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | I have been accepted to give an oral presentation at the European Diabetic Nephropathy Study Group conference in Copenhagen in May 2024. Objective Epigenetic clocks reflect accelerated biological ageing, potentially revealing the impact of environmental exposures during the lifecourse. We explored accelerated ageing in the context of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) to highlight novel pathways of pathology, advance our understanding of how our environmental impacts kidney function, and uncover ageing feedback loops. Design Harnessing blood-derived DNA methylation measures, determined via Illumina EPIC array (measuring ~800,000 CpG sites), we generated epigenetic clock measures, adjusted for age, sex, and white cell counts (CD8T, CD4T, Natural killer, B-cell, Monocytes, Granulocytes). Setting This study investigated patients with type 1 diabetic kidney disease (T1-DKD), alongside control individuals with T1 diabetes and no evidence of kidney disease. Patients Individuals were included from the All Ireland-Warren 3-Genetics of Kidneys in Diabetes UK Collection (UK-ROI) and the Belfast Renal Transplant collection (white European ancestry)1. Case individuals (N=224, mean age=42.2, 48.2% female) had =10 years T1D duration and DKD defined as persistent macroalbuminuria (=500mg/ 24 hr), eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73m2 (CKD-EPI), retinopathy, and hypertension (systolic/diastolic blood pressure =135/85mmHg). Control individuals (N=240, mean age=41.2, 48.7% female) had =15 years T1D duration and no evidence of kidney disease on repeat testing (normal urinary albumin excretion and eGFR >60 mL/ min/1.73m2). Control individuals had normal blood pressure and were not taking any anti-hypertensive medication. Case-controls were matched for sex, ethnicity, diabetes duration to within 5 years, and age to within 10 years. Post quality-control N numbers are presented. Main Outcome Measurements (±PC)PhenoAge, PCGrimAge, (±PC)DNAmTL, (±PC)Horvath1, and (±PC)Hammum clocks were generated using methylCIPHER2-7. DunedinPACE was generated using Biolearn8,9. ±PC represents the inclusion of principal component adjustment. Associations were determined using a generalised linear model (Binomial logit) in R version 4.3.0. The significance cut-off was set to 0.005 (to account for 10 clock-based tests). Results and Conclusions Of note, the PCDNAmTL (OR:0.031(0.006-0.148), p=2.06x10-5) clock was significantly associated with decreased DKD risk. PCPhenoAge (OR:1.07(1.03-1.12), p=0.001), as well as PhenoAge (OR:1.08(1.04-1.12), p=7.71x10-5), were significantly associated with increased DKD risk. No other clock was significantly associated with DKD. DNAmTL predicts telomere length3, suggesting accelerated telomere shortening may be observed in DKD, supporting our previous study measuring telomere length in the UK-ROI collection. The PhenoAge clock is based on phenotypic ageing measures for liver, kidney (creatinine), inflammation, the immune system, and metabolism (serum glucose), and was previously associated with cancer, Alzheimer's6 and reduced kidney function (chronic kidney disease sample, adjusted for diabetes)11. This work highlights links between DKD and features of biological ageing, potentially highlighting their downstream usefulness to stratify individuals based on DKD risk. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | All Ireland monthly Cup O'Collaboration with Children and Young Person's advisory for rare diseases group launched |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Patients, carers and/or patient groups |
| Results and Impact | More than 100 people have attended these publication engagement events, raising awareness of rare diseases, facilitating peer learning, and delivering expert-led sessions. We have also discussed future rare disease research priorities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/RareDisease/News/All-IrelandChildrenandYoungAdultsResearchAdvisoryGroupf... |
| Description | Blog from Sam Robinson - PPIE lead for RD CASTNI |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Patients, carers and/or patient groups |
| Results and Impact | There was lots of discussion on the needs of carers at this event. Attendees stressed that Carers supporting people living with rare diseases are: Medical navigators: the carer had to arrange doctors/hospital/consultant appointments, often juggling complex treatments and many medications. When they attended appointments with healthcare professionals, often the doctor did not acknowledge the carer themselves even though they knew everything about the patient's day to day living, or indeed may have the same condition themselves. A few had contact with specialists in England, but this is not helpful for emergency care for example. Advocates - Fighters, determined, persistent: for improved diagnosis, care, educational support and much more. There was a perception that Schools do not want to understand rare conditions - for example, thinking a child was just being difficult and even spoke of bullying and lack of response from schools. Peer supporters: the benefits of connecting with others who have experienced similar things, who can signpost to advice and further support, or sometimes just knowing someone is trying to help. A quote from the day, "Life can change overnight when support is found - it's transformational". We discussed teenagers and young adults who did not want to speak about anything with a older person, but would benefit from support connecting with someone their own age. Researchers: seeking accurate, reliable information about individual conditions, voluntary support groups, practical help. Some found getting information was OK, but they didn't know what to trust and they had to search themselves again and again. Many highlighted how they reached out to Sandra for local support and found such relief at finding someone who would try and help them. Others used FaceBook groups, but noted they were very cautious and careful about posting on their own circumstances as the person they were caring for didn't want to be identified & that in itself is stressful trying to remember what to say and what not to say. Financially concerned: Everyone noted the cost of living with a rare disease - extra heating when people cannot wear heavy layers, extra electricity for medical equipment, long distances to travel for healthcare appointments, lack of treatment options leading to people seeking complementary and alternative therapies, dietary needs etc. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/RareDisease/News/080324DerryLondonderrycarersfocusgroup.html |
| Description | Blog on Mayoral events for rare disease day 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Attended events hosted by local Mayors, helping raise awareness of rare diseases across Northern Ireland. There was media interest in these events, and public blogs. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/RareDisease/Events/EveryonecanparticipateintheGlobalChainofLightsandShar... |
| Description | Claire Hill was an invited to be a panel member at the Rare Disease event in Stormont in February 2025 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Patients, carers and/or patient groups |
| Results and Impact | Dr Claire Hill was invited to be a panel member at the Rare Disease event held at Stormont in February 2025. This was an event entitled "More than you can imagine," with the panel focusing on The Power of Resilience and Connection. This event was held by the Northern Ireland Rare Disease Partnership and Rare Disease Ireland, together with Queen's University Belfast, the Northern Ireland Department of Health, RARDTAC, RAIN and Ulster University. Prof Amy Jayne McKnight was a panel host, together with Dr Suja Somanadhan (UCD). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Epigenomics workshop - three countries - harmonisation of DNAm for cross-country / multicentre comparisons |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
| Results and Impact | Workshop bringing together the teams working on epigenetic data in three global longitudinal aging studies: HRS (Health and Retirement study, USA), TILDA (The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, Ireland) and NICOLA (Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing, Northern Ireland). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Exposure to the troubles in Northern Ireland, memory functioning, and social activity engagement |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited speaker to the 2024 Northern Ireland and Royal College of Psychiatrists Old Age Faculty Joint Meeting 01.03.2024. Approximately 100 people in audience with capacity for more to join remotely. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.bgs.org.uk/events/2024-northern-ireland-and-royal-college-of-psychiatrists-old-age-facul... |
| Description | Famelab Northern Ireland Final - Runner up |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Dr Claire Hill summarised this research in 3 minutes to a general public audience. Around 70 people attended this Northern Ireland Science Festival event. Claire was awarded Runner up and many audience members were engaged with her work and commented on how clearly she communicated this complex topic. A kidney patient commented to Claire after how much she valued her talk and was excited about the research that was going on in this research field. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | How kidneys work and how to cope when they don't? |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Illustrated talk to ~80 persons as part of the World About Us series in Knock Methodist Centre, Belfast. Audience participation in some of the explanations of how kidneys work. Several individuals in the audience were kidney transplant recipients and one individual was receiving dialysis. Many had family members or friends affected by kidney disease. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| URL | https://mcusercontent.com/c6721ca9e3acaa25d24494e14/files/255d358c-8fe0-0c43-1b2f-96a53fbba654/The_W... |
| Description | Invited Member of Our Future Health Scientific Advisory Board |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This is the advisory board for a national strategic population-based project, which will inform how the project is developed to best support researcher across a range of disciplines, including industrial collaborators and practitioners. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Invited member at KRUK-DUK-JDRF hosted Diabetic Kidney Disease Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | This was an event hosted by Diabetes UK, Kidney Research UK, and the JDRF with invited clinical, academic, and experts by experience exploring evidence gaps and research needs for diabetic kidney disease. A workshop report is planned to highlight a shared consensus of evidence gaps and to stimulate research investment and activity. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.kidneyresearchuk.org/kidney-disease-and-diabetes-workshop/ |
| Description | Invited presentation for Nature vs Nurture - unravelling the role of epigenetics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Invited speaker at 25 year anniversary event, helping explain how epigenetics extends our understanding of environmental variables / impacts getting under our skin to influence health outcomes. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://folkhalsan.fi/en/knowledge/research/genetics/group-groop/ |
| Description | Keynote speaker / Plenary at Diabetes UK's annual conference 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Nature vs Nurture debate at plenary session |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.diabetes.org.uk/diabetes-uk-professional-conference/conference-information |
| Description | Keynote: ESRC SPACE Launch event: Armagh Observatory and Planetarium |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | An international meeting between researchers and professionals, including international, UK and pan-Ireland colleagues to review the preliminary findings of the SPACE project, discuss the current state of global gerontology and environment initiatives, including the global aging gateway and future potential for collaboration. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://pure.qub.ac.uk/en/activities/keynote-esrc-space-launch-event-armagh-observatory-and-planetar... |
| Description | Kidney Canvas - NI Science Festival Public Engagement |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | We hosted an afternoon of hot desking, where experts and talented artists from the QUB Renal Arts Group guide visitors through hands-on art interventions that are used to support and uplift kidney patients undergoing dialysis. Visitors heard insights from local and regional kidney disease charities (Northern Ireland Kidney Research Fund, Kidney Care UK, Northern Ireland Kidney Patients Association), showcasing the incredible work they do to transform the lives of patients and their families. Attendees stepped into our mini-lab, building their own candy DNA and learning about kidney filtration using household items, alongside QUB scientists from the Molecular Epidemiology and Public Health group. Visitors discovered how this ground-breaking research is revolutionizing therapies and interventions for kidney disease. A special musical performance from the QUB Renal Arts Group band, Ragbone build a blend of art, science, music, fun and community, leaving visitors inspired and informed. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://nisciencefestival.com/events/kidney-canvas-hot-desk-your-way-around-the-science-and-art-of-k... |
| Description | Kidney Canvas - NI Science Festival Public Engagement |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | We hosted an afternoon of hot desking, where experts and talented artists from the QUB Renal Arts Group guide visitors through hands-on art interventions that are used to support and uplift kidney patients undergoing dialysis. Visitors heard insights from local and regional kidney disease charities (Northern Ireland Kidney Research Fund, Kidney Care UK, Northern Ireland Kidney Patients Association), showcasing the incredible work they do to transform the lives of patients and their families. Attendees stepped into our mini-lab, building their own candy DNA and learning about kidney filtration using household items, alongside QUB scientists from the Molecular Epidemiology and Public Health group. Visitors discovered how this ground-breaking research is revolutionizing therapies and interventions for kidney disease. A special musical performance from the QUB Renal Arts Group band, Ragbone build a blend of art, science, music, fun and community, leaving visitors inspired and informed. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://nisciencefestival.com/events/kidney-canvas-hot-desk-your-way-around-the-science-and-art-of-k... |
| Description | Looking to the future for rare diseases: All Ireland rare disease day conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Patients, carers and/or patient groups |
| Results and Impact | This event discussed recent progress supporting rare diseases in NI and RoI with stakeholders considering future plans. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/9fb79-minister-for-health-marks-rare-disease-day-2024/ |
| Description | Member of the Life and Health Sciences Committee multidisciplinary committee of the Royal Irish Academy for the June 2022-2026 term |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This is a 4 year term appointment. The Life and Medical Sciences Committee is an all-island multidisciplinary committee formed in September 2014. The committee's membership represents academia, industry, media, and other interest groups. The primary functions of the committee are to address issues of national and international interest through a programme of work, advise the Academy on the formation of policy and act as the national adhering organisation for international unions including the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB) and the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS). The committee has a varied programme of works ranging from lectures, expert statements on issues of national and international importance, and special events focusing on topical issues. This work enables the committee to engage with the wider scholarly community, policy makers and the general public. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Midlife exposures to civilian conflict associated with accelerated biological ageing but better cognitive performance in older age - an examination of the impact of the Northern Ireland Troubles within the Northern Ireland cohort for the longitudinal study of ageing (NICOLA) study. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Poster presentation at the international Alzheimer's Research UK conference 19th-21st March 2024 interacting with early career researchers, carers, charitable organisations, industry and academics attending the conference. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.alzheimersresearchuk.org/research/for-researchers/research-conference/scientific-program... |
| Description | NI Science Festival event: The-future-of-kidney-research-is-steam-powered |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Patients, carers and/or patient groups |
| Results and Impact | 47 people registered to attend this event, which was enjoyed by all attending. Kidney disease affects around 850 million people worldwide with numbers continuing to rise. Holistic approaches which harness cutting edge science and art therapies are key to improving the quality of life of patients and their families. This event brought together clinicians, researchers, academics and artists for a wonderful afternoon of science, art, performance and music! The event was primarily coordinated and hosted by Dr Claire Hill, Research Fellow at the QUB Centre for Public Health, with speakers Professor Peter Maxwell, Consultant Nephrologist, Dr Katie Kerr, Research Fellow, Centre for Public Health, QUB, Dr Claire Carswell, Research Fellow, School of Nursing, QUB and Department of Public Health, University of York, and William Johnston, writer and kidney transplant recipient. We were also joined by RagBone, featuring Mr Ian Walsh, Consultant Surgeon and Senior Lecturer, Alistair MacKenzie, Social Worker at South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust and Lyn McMullan, Audiovisual Producer, who closed the event with some new music and old favourites. The session was closed by Prof AJ McKnight, Professor of Molecular Epidemiology and Public Health, Centre for Public Health, QUB. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/RareDisease/Events/NorthernIrelandScienceFestival:Thefutureofkidneyresea... |
| Description | Presentation at Epigenomics of Common Disease conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Poster presentation at the Wellcome Institutes Epigenomics of Common Disease conference showcasing planned analysis regarding urban green and blue space exposure, DNA methylation and cognitive outcomes. Many attendees enquired about the SPACE project and other work within the project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | QUB rare disease research website |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Public facing website developed to help raise awareness of rare diseases. Local rare disease research is also posted on twitter with the hashtag #RareDiseaseNI. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021,2022,2023,2024 |
| URL | https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/RareDisease/ |
| Description | Rare Diseases Research across the Life Continuum |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This year our All Ireland virtual rare disease research symposium took place on the 25th of February 13.00-17.00 (GMT) to help raise awareness of "Rare Diseases Day 2022". This event is building on our existing patient public involvement (PPI) and research partnerships across the north (RARDTAC, QUB) and south (RAINDROP, UCD) of Ireland. This virtual symposium will inspire and empower early-career researchers also create strategic transdisciplinary networks to promote world-class rare disease educational developments, research, innovation and engagement in Ireland. We are delighted to have an excellent lineup of local and international speakers! We discussion multiomic approaches to help diagnose disease, including kidney disease, and the impact of environmental stressors on non-communicable diseases |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/RareDisease/Events/RareDiseasesResearchacrosstheLifeContinuum.html |
| Description | SPACE Policy Workshops, Sept 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A set of workshops in September 2023, designed and facilitated in partnership with Involve to establish a foundation for environmental health initiatives going forward across Belfast and the whole of Northern Ireland through fostering partnerships and shared initiatives. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/space/Filestore/Leadership%20for%20healthy%20people%20and%20planet_RGBCO... |
| Description | STEAMing Kidneys - Where Science and Art Collide |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | An increasing number of people are diagnosed with kidney disease, with one billion affected worldwide, impacting both patients and their families. To gain new insights into this condition and improve the quality of life of those affected, researchers today are taking novel and diverse approaches that unite the worlds of art and science! Come see the fruits of these collaborations and hear from the QUB scientists who are studying kidney disease genetics to aid the development of new diagnostics and therapeutics. Learn how the QUB Renal Arts Group works with patients, carers, doctors, scientists and artists to advance the physical and mental wellbeing of those living with kidney disease. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://nisciencefestival.com/events/steaming-kidneys-where-science-and-art-collide |
| Description | STEM Ambassador Certificate for 50+ hours contributing to STEM education in the UK |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A variety of events where hosted and visits enabled. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021 |
| Description | Transplantation Tales: An Educational Workshop in Kidney Care and Research - NI Science Festival |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | As a genetic and molecular epidemiologist, I had the opportunity to share my insights into the fundamental mechanisms of kidney disease at an event hosted by the Renal Arts Group within the School of Nursing & Midwifery at Queen's University Belfast. Key Stage 4 and 5 students were invited to participate in an interactive workshop where they collaborated as part of a transplantation team to create storyboards for an animated, educational video series for patients with chronic kidney disease on the waiting list for a kidney transplant. During the event, researchers, transplant coordinators, nephrologists, and transplant surgeons discussed the kidneys, kidney disease, and kidney transplantation, highlighting the crucial information that kidney transplant recipients need to know. I contributed by explaining the genetic and molecular aspects of kidney disease, helping students understand the underlying mechanisms. The students then took on various roles within their transplantation education teams, applying the knowledge they gained to their projects. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2025 |
| Description | Transplantation Tales: An Educational Workshop in Kidney Care and Research - NI Science Festival |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Dr Claire Hill presented at the Transplantation Tales workshop as part of NI Science Festival. This event was hosted by the Renal Arts Group within the School of Nursing & Midwifery at Queen's University Belfast. Key Stage 4 and 5 students were invited to participate in an interactive workshop where they collaborated as part of a transplantation team to create storyboards for an animated, educational video series for patients with chronic kidney disease on the waitlist for a kidney transplant. Researchers, transplant coordinators, nephrologists, and transplant surgeons talked about the kidneys, kidney disease, and kidney transplantation, and what information is important for kidney transplant recipients to know. Then, students took on one of these roles as part of their own transplantation education team. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://nisciencefestival.com/schools-educators/transplantation-tales-an-educational-workshop-in-kid... |
| Description | raindrop-rardtac webinar |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Patients, carers and/or patient groups |
| Results and Impact | Informing and increasing awareness of rare disease research. Launch of the All Ireland Students Network for Rare Diseases (RDSnET) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/RareDisease/Events/RareDiseaseResearchandTeachingInitiativesinAcademia.h... |