About the TRN

Across scientific fields, there is growing interest in the utilization of telomere length (TL) as a sentinel of the environmental exposome and psychosocial stress across the life course, and as a predictor of mortality, aging-related health outcomes, and health span. Although TL is a primary hallmark of aging and is linked to disease risk and exposure in meta-analytic studies, inconsistencies across studies and procedures hamper our ability to test fundamental mechanisms and interactive models. Despite these limitations, the value of telomere research is significant, as meta analytic findings have confirmed relationships between TL and all-cause mortality, depression, schizophrenia, cardiovascular disease, as well as presumed precursors including air pollution and early life stress. The Telomere Research Network will emphasize synergistic research that capitalizes on existing networks and infrastructure, accessible cohorts, and expertise across diverse disciplines including aging, stress, environmental exposure, development, and biostatistics.

Goals of the TRN: 

  • Create a diverse and interactive network of invested stakeholders in the telomere field
  • Investigate methodologic concerns in telomere length metrics and other telomere indicators and facilitate interactive discussions focused on best practice for TL measurement in population studies
  • Develop infrastructure for cross-disciplinary dialogue, dissemination, and research related to telomere length as a sentinel of exposure and a predictor of health and aging
Stacy Drury, MD, PhD
Stacy Drury, MD, PhD
John McLachlan, PhD
John McLachlan, PhD
Elissa Epel, PhD
Elissa Epel, PhD
Simon Verhulst, PhD
Simon Verhulst, PhD
Max Guo, PhD
Max Guo, PhD
Lisbeth Nielsen, Ph.D
Lisbeth Nielsen, Ph.D
Michelle Heacock, PhD
Michelle Heacock, PhD
Yun-Ling Zheng, MD, PhD, MPH
Yun-Ling Zheng, MD, PhD, MPH
Abraham Aviv, MD
Abraham Aviv, MD
Jue Lin, PhD. PI
Jue Lin, PhD. PI
Idan Shalev, PhD, PI
Idan Shalev, PhD, PI

Affiliate Laboratories

Methodologic Studies Partners

  • Susan Bailey – Colorado State University, Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences
  • Athanase Benetos – Universite de Lorraine, INSERM
  • Maria Blasco – Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO)
  • Richard Cawthon – University of Utah, Department of Human Genetics
  • Immaculate De Vivo – Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology
  • Michael Kobor – University of British Columbia, Department of Medical Genetics
  • Peter Lansdorp – University of British Columbia, Department of Medical Genetics
  • Tim Nawrot – Universiteit Hasselt, Department of Environmental and Molecular Epidemiology Research
  • Dan Notterman – Princeton University, Department of Molecular Biology
  • Simon Toupance – Universite de Lorraine, INSERM

Interested in being an affiliate lab and participating in cross laboratory studies related to telomere length measurement? Please email sdrury@tulane.edu.