A McMaster research team has been awarded $2 million in federal funding to study how social disparities influence inflammation and the development of disease at a molecular level in middle-aged to older adults.

In Canada, 44 per cent of adults and 73 per cent of seniors in Canada live with at least one chronic disease, highlighting the need for more targeted, equitable care and precision medicine — tailoring care to genetics, lifestyle, environment and lived experiences.

The Social BEACON (Social disparities-Biological ExplorAtion CONnecting multi-omics approach with healthy aging) study is led by Parminder Raina, scientific director of the McMaster Institute for Research on Aging (MIRA),  who will bring together an interdisciplinary group of researchers from across the country.

The five years of funding is part of a $38 million investment from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and its partners in 19 research teams and a national knowledge mobilization hub.

“Social BEACON aims to uncover the underlying mechanisms linking social disadvantage to inflammation and age-related diseases,” said Raina, a professor in the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact at McMaster.

The research will use a multi-omics approach, integrating various biological data such as genetics, epigenetics, blood metabolites and the gut microbiome, and leverages existing data on physical, mental and social health from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), a national research platform on health and aging involving more than 50,000 community-dwelling adults.

“By understanding the molecular drivers of disease and the pathways through which social disparities impact health, the project will generate evidence that will inform the development of focused interventions and improve the health outcomes of all individuals in Canada,” said Raina, the lead principal investigator of the CLSA.

Social BEACON will introduce new measures into the CLSA, such as epigenetic analyses on additional CLSA participants, and proteomics, which measures proteins in the blood. The aim is to elevate the CLSA to become Canada’s leading precision health research platform, offering cutting-edge data that is readily accessible to researchers.

The Social BEACON initiative also focuses on training and mentoring the next generation of researchers, while also prioritizing engagement and knowledge mobilization to ensure that research findings lead to real, impactful benefits for Canadians.

To achieve this, a Social BEACON Participant Advisory Committee has been formed, representing individuals of various ages, ethnicities, health statuses and experiences.

“The CLSA is extremely valuable and that was the motivation for my participation,” said Penelope Petrie, a CLSA participant since 2015 and a patient partner on the Social BEACON grant.

“But what has kept me in the study is the ongoing communication about the findings — through webinars, scientific papers and other reports. It’s a real motivator to stay involved. As a knowledge user, one of the things that will be very important to me is seeing the impact of the Social BEACON initiative.”