DFG funds BASE-II epigenetics study with €570K

5. May 2023

Profs. L. Bertram and I. Demuth

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) decided in their 2023 spring committee meeting to fund a 30 month collaborative research project co-led by Profs. Ilja Demuth (at Charite, Berlin) and Lars Bertram (at LIGA, Lübeck). The project, which is entitled “Development and validation of DNA-methylation clocks using longitudinal data from the Berlin Aging Study II (BASE-II)” aims to generate longitudinal genome-wide DNA methylation (DNAm) profiles and assess their potential to serve as novel markers of biological aging. The determination of an individual’s biological age is a field of research that has gained considerable attention over the past years, as the availability of appropriate “aging biomarkers” is of great importance to answer both basic research questions but also to guide approaches to slow the aging process and/or delay the onset of age-related diseases. The two Co-PIs of this project have intensively and successfully collaborated for more than 10 years on various aspects of the BASE-II study. The project is funded with nearly €570,000, of which €193,000 will go to the LIGA team. Please visit the main project’s website to find out more about BASE-II.