Epigenetics, Methylation, and Aging, With Andrew Adey

<p>Episode 15: OHSU Researcher Andrew Adey discusses his interest in methylation and how researchers are using new technologies to fill in theories about cell identity and aging dating back to  the 1950s. </p><p>For more stories, podcasts, and other coverage of genomics, visit www.iongenomics.bio.</p>Show Notes<p>Eric Topol Substack Article: <a href="https://erictopol.substack.com/p/loss-of-cell-identity-drives-human" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">“Loss of Cell Identity Drives Human Aging”</a></p><p>Review paper on epigenetics and aging:</p><p>Yücel, A.D., Molière, A. &amp; Gladyshev, V.N. “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10955-0" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Written in development and lost in ageing: the grammar of cellular identity.”</a> <i><em>Nature.</em></i> Sept. 30, 2026. </p><p>Another paper on epigenetics and aging</p><p>Lu et al. <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell/abstract/S0092-8674(25)00853-0" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">“Prevalent mesenchymal drift in aging and disease is reversed by partial reprogramming.”</a> <i><em>Cell.</em></i> October 2025.</p><p>Adey lab preprint on single-cell methylation analysis in the brain:</p><p>Rylaarsdam, <i><em>et al.</em></i> “<a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.06.730504v1" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Early postnatal DNA methylation dynamics define neuronal subtypes and are disrupted by MECP2 loss.”</a> <i><em>bioRxiv. </em></i>June 8, 2026.</p><p>Adey lab Amethyst paper:</p><p>Rylaarsdam, <i><em>et al.</em></i> “Single-cell DNA methylation analysis tool Amethyst resolves distinct non-CG methylation patterns in human astrocytes and oligodendrocytes.” <i><em>Commun Biol. </em></i>Oct. 14, 2025.</p><p>Ecker lab paper on non-canonical methylation in the brain:</p><p>Lister, <i><em>et al</em></i>. <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1237905" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">“Global epigenomic reconfiguration during mammalian brain development.”</a> <i><em>Science</em></i>. July 4, 2013. </p><p>My <a href="https://www.genomeweb.com/sequencing/dna-methylation-analysis-poised-make-strides-after-big-year-tech-advances/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"><i><em>GenomeWeb </em></i>story</a> on methylation sequencing tech (paywall)</p><p>SciMet v3 paper: </p><p>Nichols, <i><em>et al. </em></i>“Atlas-scale single-cell DNA methylation profiling with sciMETv3.”<i><em>Cell Genomics</em></i>. Jan. 8, 2025. </p>