“Every stress leaves an indelible scar, and the organism pays for its survival after a stressful situation by becoming a little older.” – Hans Selye, 1907-1982.

As Selye noted in his book The Stress of Life already in the 1950’s, stress can speed up the aging process. Multiple studies have documented by now the effects of stress, in particular adverse experiences in early life and chronic forms of stress, on health problems in later life, from weight-gain to an increased risk of mental health disorders, and to cancer and premature mortality. Although the word ‘aging’ is visualized with old age and elderly people, ‘biological aging’ is a life-long process that begins almost at conception. Research suggests that the effects of stress on biological aging can be observed already at birth. Importantly, the rate of aging is not universal, and stress in its various forms is a key factor in determining the speed of aging.

Research in the lab is focused on understanding the mechanistic linkage between early developmental and environmental factors, stress-related biological systems, and health outcomes. This research program integrates data sources across levels of genomics, biomarkers and phenotypic data with multiple metrics of biological aging. Our research aims to inform new targets for intervention studies to reverse the damaging effects of stress on our body and mind.