The UK Office for National Statistics estimates that in 50 years’ time, there will be an additional 8.6 million people aged 65 years and over. Longer lifespan has clear benefits, but when it is associated with an increased proportion of the population suffering from age-related diseases, it can pose a burden to individual sufferers and to the economy.

Telomeres are ‘DNA tails’ at the end of chromosomes that shorten as we age, in accordance with the number of cell divisions. The rate at which telomeres shorten is also affected by genetic, environmental and pharmacological factors, which is important because premature telomere shortening is hypothesized to predispose to multiple age-related diseases, including coronary artery disease and rheumatoid arthritis. This is because cells with very short telomere lengths are less able to divide, leading to the accumulation of old, damaged or unhealthy cells within a tissue, and subsequently an increased risk of disease. A deeper understanding of which specific factors affect rates of telomere shortening might allow us to identify who is most at risk for premature telomere shortening and what sort of interventions may be effective at preventing age-related diseases.

This project will use the rich phenotype data within ALSPAC to define genetic, environmental and pharmacological factors associated with telomere length and its rate of attrition.