Photo: Jonna Karekivi, Tampere University
This dissertation studied whether molecules measured in blood, namely microRNAs and DNA-methylation-based “epigenetic clocks” of biological aging, can predict which middle-aged individuals will develop high blood pressure, fatty liver disease or other common chronic diseases. The question was whether they tell us more than age, body weight, blood pressure and lifestyle already do. Several markers were linked to future disease, but when assessed with established methods for evaluating added predictive value, they improved risk prediction only slightly, and epigenetic clocks did not outperform simple measures such as age, waist size, smoking and alcohol use. The results matter because a marker’s link to a disease does not by itself show that it improves risk estimates, which is relevant both to research on new biomarkers and to tests marketed for measuring “biological age”. The findings caution against using epigenetic clocks for personal health monitoring for now, while the microRNAs that were identified remain interesting leads for research into how these diseases develop.
The doctoral dissertation titled Molecular Biomarkers for Improved Risk Prediction in Noncommunicable Diseases: MicroRNAs and epigenetic clocks by MSc Daria Kostiniuk will be publicly examined in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology at Tampere University on 20 November 2026. The dissertation is in the field of molecular epidemiology.
The Opponent will be Professor of Statistics Matti Pirinen from the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki. The Custos will be Docent Emma Raitoharju from Tampere University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology.