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The secret power of the internal clock: How it controls our health!
The research group led by Prof. Angela Relógio at the MSH Medical School Hamburg is developing innovative methods for analyzing the circadian clock and its influence on health and therapy adjustment.
The secret power of the internal clock: How it controls our health!
The circadian clock plays a central role in regulating important physiological processes in the human body. Disturbances in this internal clock are associated with numerous diseases, including sleep disorders, metabolic diseases, mental illnesses and even cancer. The Medical School Hamburg (MSH), in collaboration with the Charité and other partners, has now developed new approaches to record circadian rhythms more precisely and to detect possible disorders at an early stage. This information could be crucial for personalized medicine, such as medicalschool-hamburg.de reported.
The main focus of the research is the non-invasive analysis of saliva, which serves as an easily accessible medium for determining circadian state. Dr. Angela Relógio, who leads a research group for circadian medicine and systems biology, has developed a novel procedure, the TimeTeller® method. This method analyzes gene expression, hormone levels such as cortisol, and subjective assessments of sleep behavior to identify correlating markers.
Results and future applications
The results of the study, which was carried out with 21 healthy volunteers, show significant correlations between the circadian markers analyzed and the participants' sleep behavior. This confirms the reliability of the new analysis method and its potential application in clinical contexts. Adapting sleep, exercise and medication intake to personal circadian rhythms could significantly improve patients' well-being bihealth.org explained.
The TimeTeller® project has already received financial support under the InnoRampUp program and is collaborating with various pharmaceutical companies to further validate the technology. Clinical studies are being planned, with a particular focus on optimizing treatment times for cancer patients. Here, adapting therapy to the circadian rhythm could not only increase effectiveness, but also minimize side effects.
Circadian mechanisms and their importance
The circadian clock is active in almost every cell in the body and influences numerous biochemical processes, including the sleep-wake cycle, cell division and metabolism. These mechanisms are complex and rely on a network of genes that regulate each other. Research shows that almost all living things have a circadian clock that helps adapt to the earth's day-night rhythm, as the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry shows mpg.de.
A crucial part of this mechanism is the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the hypothalamus, which acts as the master pacemaker. Dysfunction in the SCN can lead to a loss of circadian rhythm. Understanding these biological clocks is essential to explain how they respond to external influences such as light or food intake and how this can affect health. Ongoing research is helping to further clarify the role of the circadian clock in the development of lifestyle diseases.
In summary, the new insights into circadian rhythms could not only contribute to the early diagnosis of diseases, but also form the basis for innovative, personalized therapies. The integration of such procedures into everyday clinical practice promises to significantly increase patients' quality of life.