Project 457222

About one million people in Canada identify as a member of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ+) community, however, recent data from Statistics Canada indicates that discrimination targeting LGBTQ+ peoples has risen by 41% compared to the previous year. Moreover, LGBTQ+ people are more likely to experience other discrimination-related adversity (DRA) across their life course as well as experiencing substantial structural inequities in their access to vital socioeconomic resources. Indeed, recent work indicates that LGBTQ+ people are more likely to experience food insecurity relative to their heterosexual peers. Social epigenomics studies how social experience gets "under the skin" to affect epigenetic processes, e.g., both heritable and non-heritable changes in the regulation of gene activity and expression that are not dependent on gene sequence, such as DNA methylation, histone modification and telomere attrition. Adversity shapes DNA methylation, thus shaping patterns of cellular regulation across multiple biological systems. These changes in gene regulation can increase risks for multiple non-communicable diseases (NCDs) (e.g., cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, diabetes). Previous research suggests that discrimination contributes to elevated NCD risk among LGBTQ+ people, but the mechanisms connecting discrimination and NCD risk are unclear. We hypothesize that exposure to DRA may become 'biologically embedded' through epigenetic changes to stress-responsive genes, thereby accelerating biological aging and altering longterm health outcomes for LGBTQ+ peoples. My research will focus on studying the epigenetic profiles from samples of LGBTQ+ youths. I aim to identify differentially methylated sites within the genome that are potentially linked to DRA. This research will advance our understanding of the impact of DRA on LGBTQ+ peoples health at a molecular level, informing evidence-based approaches to support healthy aging among LGBTQ+ people.