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Targeting the circadian clock in personalized disease prevention

Project description

Circadian clock interventions for disease prevention

We have a biological clock that follows a 24-hour circadian rhythm which is orchestrated by various molecular mechanisms central for health. Although the negative impact of circadian rhythm disruption is now well established, nearly one in five people engage in shift work at alternate times during the day. Funded by the European Research Council, the CLOCKrisk project seeks to delineate the individual risk of perturbed circadian rhythm. Researchers will investigate the molecular and genetic mechanisms involved in this heightened risk and develop interventions that promote health, despite clock perturbations.

Objective

Virtually every cell of our body follows the 24-hr circadian rhythm of a hypothalamic master pacemaker that evolved in the natural light-dark cycle. Decoding this circadian clock culminated in the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2017 for the discovery of molecular mechanisms controlling the circadian rhythm. It is now recognized that a strong, unperturbed circadian clock is a hallmark of healthy aging. The introduction of electric light, however, presents unique challenges: today, 20% of the global work force engages in alternate working hours associated with light in unnatural times. Increases in the risk of major chronic disease and mortality have been associated with night work. Further, night-activity is widespread also outside of work, implicating potential risk for many. This project targets the urgency of alleviating adverse health consequences of a perturbed clock. It does so by aiming to decipher individual risk and related mechanisms 1) using a cutting-edge multi-polygenic score approach; 2) employing transgenerational, deeply phenotyped cohort approaches; and 3) carrying out interventions using genetic risk stratification. This epidemiological project builds on pioneering work of the applicant who conducted the first prospective study to demonstrate significant health effects of chronic clock dysregulation, leading WHO to classify night work as a probable carcinogen. Using transdisciplinary approaches, she implemented field and genetic studies and developed circadian biomarkers, establishing the field circadian epidemiology. Tying the transformative body of her work together, she proposes to take the next ground-breaking leap: To 1) identify the night-active individual who develops disease, 2) profile mechanisms involved, and 3) optimize effectiveness of interventions to improve sleep and shift work disorder, facilitating immediate implementation of risk-based prevention strategies aimed at promoting healthy aging in spite of clock perturbations.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

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HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) ERC-2021-ADG

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Host institution

MEDIZINISCHE UNIVERSITAET WIEN
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 2 043 792,00
Address
SPITALGASSE 23
1090 Wien
Austria

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Region
Ostösterreich Wien Wien
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 2 043 792,00

Beneficiaries (2)

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