Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

The field of epigenetics examines heritable changes in DNA which influence gene expression but are external to the DNA sequence. DNA methylation refers to the attachment of small chemical groups to DNA, and is an epigenetic marker that typically represses gene expression when bound to regulatory regions. Epigenetic patterns are both stable and dynamic; they can be maintained across generations but will also change within an individual's life via developmental and environmental influences. Socioeconomic status (SES) is among the most potent environmental determinants of health. Health disparities that are related to socioeconomic deprivation and adversity in childhood can be tracked over time into adult life. However a child's innate stress response may cause the child to be uncommonly susceptible or resilient to his/her environment. For example, a child with low stress reactivity may have a better long-term health outcome than would be expected based on his/her SES. Given this observation, we hypothesize that exposure to early social adversities may become 'biologically embedded' through epigenetic changes to stress-responsive genes, thereby altering long term risks of poor physical and mental health. My research will focus on studying the epigenetic profiles from buccal (cheek swab) samples of 400 socioeconomically diverse Vancouver 8-10 year old children, as part of the Gene Expression Collaborative for Kids Only. Using advanced technology to interrogate genome-wide DNA methylation, I aim to identify differentially methylated sites within the genome that are potentially linked to SES and/or exposure to adversity. These data, integrated with the stress reactivity and genetic data will advance our understanding of the influence of SES on health disparities in children at a molecular level. Furthermore, new knowledge from this research could plausibly lead to targeted, multilevel interventions capable of abating societal inequalities in health and human development.