Computational biologist with a background in molecular medicine working on epigenetics, ageing, and disease prevention.
I’m a translational scientist at the intersection of computational biology and clinical resarch at the European Translational Oncology Prevention and Screening Institute (EUTOPS; Universität Innsbruck) and a honorary research fellow at the Institute for Women’s Health (University College London).
My work focuses on the association of epigenetics (DNA methylation) with cancer risk and ageing. I’m passionate about harnessing epigenetics and other biomarkers for risk prediction, early detection, and monitoring of personalized preventive strategies. Currently, I co-lead the clinical TirolGESUND study (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05678426) alongside Prof. Martin Widschwendter (UIBK, UCL, Karolinska). This study aims to assess longitudinal changes in the epigenome and other biomarkers of ageing and disease in response to smoking cessation and intermittent fasting.
As part of the Biomarkers of Aging Consortium Roadmap Group, I actively promote standardisation for research into biomarkers of aging, and I have a special interest in employing more robust methods to advance molecular biomarkers into promising clinical tools for personalized disease prevention.
My work is driven by a commitment to improving healthcare through prevention and enhancing our understanding of age-related disease. I firmly believe that innovative research and collaborative efforts can pave the way for a more personalized and inclusive approach to health.
Tobacco use is a major modifiable risk factor for adverse health outcomes, including cancer, and elicits profound epigenetic changes thought to be associated with long-term cancer risk. While electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have been advocated as harm reduction alternatives to tobacco products, recent studies have revealed potential detrimental effects, highlighting the urgent need for further research into the molecular and health impacts of e-cigarettes. Here, we applied computational deconvolution methods to dissect the cell- and tissue-specific epigenetic effects of tobacco or e-cigarette use on DNA methylation (DNAme) in over 3,500 buccal/saliva, cervical, or blood samples, spanning epithelial and immune cells at directly and indirectly exposed sites. The 535 identified smoking-related DNAme loci (CpGs) clustered into four functional groups, including detoxification or growth signaling, based on cell type and anatomical site. Loci hypermethylated in buccal epithelial cells of smokers associated with NOTCH1/RUNX3/growth factor receptor signaling also exhibited elevated methylation in cancer tissue and progressing lung carcinoma in situ lesions, and hypermethylation of these sites predicted lung cancer development in buccal samples collected from smokers up to 22 years prior to diagnosis, suggesting a potential role in driving carcinogenesis. Alarmingly, these CpGs were also hypermethylated in e-cigarette users with a limited smoking history. This study sheds light on the cell type-specific changes to the epigenetic landscape induced by smoking-related products.
Validation of biomarkers of aging
Mahdi Moqri*, Chiara Herzog*, Jesse R. Poganik*, and 26 more authors
The search for biomarkers that quantify biological aging (particularly ‘omic’-based biomarkers) has intensified in recent years. Such biomarkers could predict aging-related outcomes and could serve as surrogate endpoints for the evaluation of interventions promoting healthy aging and longevity. However, no consensus exists on how biomarkers of aging should be validated before their translation to the clinic. Here, we review current efforts to evaluate the predictive validity of omic biomarkers of aging in population studies, discuss challenges in comparability and generalizability and provide recommendations to facilitate future validation of biomarkers of aging. Finally, we discuss how systematic validation can accelerate clinical translation of biomarkers of aging and their use in gerotherapeutic clinical trials. Robust validation of biomarkers of aging will be critical to their clinical translation; here, authors review the key challenges and propose recommendations to overcome them.
2023
Biomarkers of aging for the identification and evaluation of longevity interventions
Mahdi Moqri*, Chiara Herzog*, Jesse R. Poganik*, and 25 more authors
With the rapid expansion of aging biology research, the identification and evaluation of longevity interventions in humans have become key goals of this field. Biomarkers of aging are critically important tools in achieving these objectives over realistic time frames. However, the current lack of standards and consensus on the properties of a reliable aging biomarker hinders their further development and validation for clinical applications. Here, we advance a framework for the terminology and characterization of biomarkers of aging, including classification and potential clinical use cases. We discuss validation steps and highlight ongoing challenges as potential areas in need of future research. This framework sets the stage for the development of valid biomarkers of aging and their ultimate utilization in clinical trials and practice.
2022
A Simple Cervicovaginal Epigenetic Test for Screening and Rapid Triage of Women With Suspected Endometrial Cancer: Validation in Several Cohort and Case/Control Sets
Chiara Herzog*, Fátima Marín*, Allison Jones, and 28 more authors
PURPOSE: Endometrial cancer (EC) incidence has been rising over the past 10 years. Delays in diagnosis reduce survival and necessitate more aggressive treatment. We aimed to develop and validate a simple, noninvasive, and reliable triage test for EC to reduce the number of invasive diagnostic procedures and improve patient survival. METHODS: We developed a test to screen and triage women with suspected EC using 726 cervical smear samples from women with and without EC, and validated the test in 562 cervicovaginal samples using three different collection methods (cervical smear: n = 248; vaginal swab: n = 63; and self-collection: n = 251) and four different settings (case/control: n = 388; cohort of women presenting with postmenopausal bleeding: n = 63; a cohort of high-risk women with Lynch syndrome: n = 25; and a nested case/control setting from a screening cohort and samples taken up to 3 years before EC diagnosis: n = 86). RESULTS: We describe the Women’s cancer risk IDentification – quantitative polymerase chain reaction test for Endometrial Cancer (WID-qEC), a three-marker test that evaluates DNA methylation in gene regions of GYPC and ZSCAN12. In cervical, self-collected, and vaginal swab samples derived from symptomatic patients, it detected EC with sensitivities of 97.2% (95% CI, 90.2 to 99.7), 90.1% (83.6 to 94.6), and 100% (63.1 to 100), respectively, and specificities of 75.8% (63.6 to 85.5), 86.7% (79.3 to 92.2), and 89.1% (77.8 to 95.9), respectively. The WID-qEC identified 90.9% (95% CI, 70.8 to 98.9) of EC cases in samples predating diagnosis up to 1 year. Test performance was similar across menopausal status, age, stage, grade, ethnicity, and histology. CONCLUSION: The WID-qEC is a noninvasive reliable test for triage of women with symptoms suggestive of ECs. Because of the potential for self-collection, it could improve early diagnosis and reduce the reliance for in-person visits.
The WID-BC-index identifies women with primary poor prognostic breast cancer based on DNA methylation in cervical samples
James E. Barrett*, Chiara Herzog*, Allison Jones, and 22 more authors
Genetic and non-genetic factors contribute to breast cancer development. An epigenome-based signature capturing these components in easily accessible samples could identify women at risk. Here, we analyse the DNA methylome in 2,818 cervical, 357 and 227 matched buccal and blood samples respectively, and 42 breast tissue samples from women with and without breast cancer. Utilising cervical liquid-based cytology samples, we develop the DNA methylation-based Women’s risk IDentification for Breast Cancer index (WID-BC-index) that identifies women with breast cancer with an AUROC (Area Under the Receiver Operator Characteristic) of 0.84 (95% CI: 0.80–0.88) and 0.81 (95% CI: 0.76–0.86) in internal and external validation sets, respectively. CpGs at progesterone receptor binding sites hypomethylated in normal breast tissue of women with breast cancer or in BRCA mutation carriers are also hypomethylated in cervical samples of women with poor prognostic breast cancer. Our data indicate that a systemic epigenetic programming defect is highly prevalent in women who develop breast cancer. Further studies validating the WID-BC-index may enable clinical implementation for monitoring breast cancer risk. Breast cancer is most commonly diagnosed via a needle biopsy. In this study, the authors show that cervical samples from women with breast cancer have a methylation signature different to that of healthy controls.
