Study Examines Disruption of Circadian Rhythm as Risk Factor for Diseases

Dec 12, 2018

 

Circadian rhythms are guided by internal clocks in cells that enable organisms to adapt to night and day cycles. Disruption of this cycle can lead to health problems in people, so scientists study cell behavior to see how the interrupted clock can cause diseases—an important step toward targeted medical treatments.

“Epidemiological studies are consistently revealing more and more connection between modern lifestyles and our internal biological clock, and when those two clash, it can lead to development of diseases such as obesity and breast cancer,” said Steve Kay, director of convergent biosciences and Provost Professor of Neurology, Biomedical Engineering and Biological Sciences at the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Biosciences. “This study goes beyond the epidemiology to explore the mechanisms of circadian disruption as a risk factor for certain diseases.”

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