Herzog Group

Photograph of Chiara Herzog in front of Kings College Chapel overlooking the Backs

Dr Chiara Herzog

Epigenetics, ageing, and stem cells

Email: ch2151@cam.ac.uk     

The Herzog lab studies how the epigenome records biological experiences and how this can be harnessed to understand, detect, and modify age-related disease risk.

Research 

Plain English: Throughout life, our cells accumulate memories of their experiences, recorded on the “epigenome” - a layer of chemical tags on our DNA that switches genes on or off without changing the underlying genetic code itself. The Herzog lab studies one specific type of these chemical tags, called DNA methylation, which has been shown to change drastically with age, asks what it can tell us about the underlying processes of age-related disease formation. When and why does a cell become more vulnerable to age-related disease? Can we read these molecular annotations from a simple non-invasive test to catch that risk early, before a person ever falls ill? And can we actively rewrite these annotations to improve how stem cells function and age? We work across multiple tissues and stem cell systems to answer these questions, combining laboratory experiments with large-scale data analysis, with the ultimate aim of developing better tools for predicting and preventing age-related disease.

Age-related diseases emerge from the interplay of genetic background and accumulated biological experience. The epigenome, the layer of chemical modifications that regulates gene activity without altering the DNA sequence itself, integrates these signals, encoding the combined influence of genetic variation, environmental exposures, and cellular context into stable yet dynamic molecular patterns. At the same time, epigenetic states actively shape cell fate and tissue function, positioning the epigenome as both a molecular archive of biological history and a regulator of disease risk.

Research focus: The Herzog lab investigates how DNA methylation encodes these signals across diverse tissues and stem cell systems, and how this information can be harnessed to understand age-related disease, improve non-invasive risk prediction, and modulate stem cell function.

Research in the group is organised around three themes:

  • Epigenetic memory and cellular ageing: Defining how DNA methylation captures and encodes biological experience, including ageing trajectories, environmental exposures, and cell-intrinsic history, across tissues and stem cells.
  • Precision biomarkers of biological vulnerability: Translating epigenetic memory into non-invasive biomarkers that reflect vulnerability, resilience, and disease risk prior to clinical onset.
  • Epigenetic regulation of stem cell function: Using experimental perturbation systems to determine whether epigenetic states causally influence stem cell behaviour and the ageing process.


Funding

Wellcome Trust

Key Publications

  • Herzog, C.M.S., Redl, E., Barrett, J. et al. Functionally enriched epigenetic clocks reveal tissue-specific discordant aging patterns in individuals with cancer. Commun Med5, 98 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43856-025-00739-4
  • Herzog, C.M.S., Theeuwes, B., Jones, A. et al. Systems epigenetic approach towards non-invasive breast cancer detection. Nat Commun16, 3082 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-53696-2
  • Herzog, C.M.S., Vavourakis, C., Redl, E., et al. Multi-modal atlas of lifestyle interventions reveals malleability of ageing-linked molecular features. bioRxiv (2025). https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.08.30.673115
  • Herzog, C.M.S., Jones, A., Evans, I., et al. Cigarette Smoking and E-cigarette Use Induce Shared DNA Methylation Changes Linked to Carcinogenesis. Cancer Res88, 11 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-23-2957
  • Moqri, M.*, Herzog, C.M.S.*, Poganik, J.R., et al. Biomarkers of aging for the identification and evaluation of longevity interventions. Cell186, 18 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2023.08.003
  • Herzog, C., Jones, A., Evans, I. et al. DNA methylation at quantitative trait loci (mQTLs) varies with cell type and nonheritable factors and may improve breast cancer risk assessment. npj Precis. Onc.7, 99 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41698-023-00452-2
  • Herzog, C.*, Marín, F.*, et al. A Simple Cervicovaginal Epigenetic Test for Screening and Rapid Triage of Women With Suspected Endometrial Cancer: Validation in Several Cohort and Case/Control Sets 40, 33 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.22.00266