Biological research into aging: from cells to clinic

Setting the Foundations: Individual Rights, Public Interest, Scientific Research and Biobanking

The principle of conferral tames the EU competence to regulate research in a comprehensive manner, yet furthering research is one of its aspirations. Data protection, however, is an area within which the EU has legislated extensively. During the development of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), an important issue to tackle was how to balance the ambitious EU aspirations and differing stakeholder interests, on the one hand, with limited competences in research regulation, on the other, and how to determine the extent to which data protection could be used as a means to further scientific research in the EU legal order. The outcome is the GDPR multifaceted research regime that sets forth EU policy and opens up for further regulations from the Member States as well as the EU.

The research regime that the GDPR has created poses numerous questions. Key among these is, what are the implications of the operationalisation of Article 89 GDPR in biobanking? This chapter sets out some of the underlying tensions in the area and pins down key conceptual foundations for the book. It provides insights into the EU’s interests in the area of biobanking and maps out central elements of the research regime that has been built within the GDPR. Thereafter, it analyses the key concepts used in the book, including biobank and biobanking, scientific research as undertaken under the GDPR, individual rights and public interest. Lastly, it shares some preliminary reflections as starting points for the analysis to come.

Airway Remodeling in Asthma

Asthma is an inflammatory disease of the airways that may result from exposure to allergens or other environmental irritants, resulting in bronchoconstriction, wheezing, and shortness of breath. The structural changes of the airways associated with asthma, broadly referred to as airway remodeling, is a pathological feature of chronic asthma that contributes to the clinical manifestations of the disease. Airway remodeling in asthma constitutes cellular and extracellular matrix changes in the large and small airways, epithelial cell apoptosis, airway smooth muscle cell proliferation, and fibroblast activation. These pathological changes in the airway are orchestrated by crosstalk of different cell types within the airway wall and submucosa. Environmental exposures to dust, chemicals, and cigarette smoke can initiate the cascade of pro-inflammatory responses that trigger airway remodeling through paracrine signaling and mechanostimulatory cues that drive airway remodeling. In this review, we explore three integrated and dynamic processes in airway remodeling: (1) initiation by epithelial cells; (2) amplification by immune cells; and (3) mesenchymal effector functions. Furthermore, we explore the role of inflammaging in the dysregulated and persistent inflammatory response that perpetuates airway remodeling in elderly asthmatics.

Hidden heterogeneity in Alzheimer's disease: Insights from genetic association studies and other analyses

Despite evident success in clarifying many important features of Alzheimer's disease (AD) the efficient methods of its prevention and treatment are not yet available. The reasons are likely to be the fact that AD is a multifactorial and heterogeneous health disorder with multiple alternative pathways of disease development and progression. The availability of genetic data on individuals participated in longitudinal studies of aging health and longevity, as well as on participants of cross-sectional case-control studies allow for investigating genetic and non-genetic connections with AD and to link the results of these analyses with research findings obtained in clinical, experimental, and molecular biological studies of this health disorder. The objective of this paper is to perform GWAS of AD in several study populations and investigate possible roles of detected genetic factors in developing AD hallmarks and in other health disorders. The data collected in the Framingham Heart Study (FHS), Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and Late Onset Alzheimer's Disease Family Study (LOADFS) were used in these analyses. The logistic regression and Cox's regression were used as statistical models in GWAS. The results of analyses confirmed strong associations of genetic variants from well-known genes APOE, TOMM40, PVRL2 (NECTIN2), and APOC1 with AD. Possible roles of these genes in pathological mechanisms resulting in development of hallmarks of AD are described. Many genes whose connection with AD was detected in other studies showed nominally significant associations with this health disorder in our study. The evidence on genetic connections between AD and vulnerability to infection, as well as between AD and other health disorders, such as cancer and type 2 diabetes, were investigated. The progress in uncovering hidden heterogeneity in AD would be substantially facilitated if common mechanisms involved in development of AD, its hallmarks, and AD related chronic conditions were investigated in their mutual connection.