# Reversing age-related epigenetic changes and characterizing microglia heterogeneity in obesity and aging

> **NIH AG K00** · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · 2026 · $78,734

## Abstract

Project Summary
Neuroinflammation is a hallmark of brain aging that may contribute to declines in function and neurodegenerative
diseases. As the resident macrophage of the brain, microglial are crucial to brain maintenance but have been
demonstrated to take on pro-inflammatory phenotypes with aging. The proposed research will examine the role
of microglia-specific epigenetic mechanisms in aging and determine the effects of obesity and aging interactions
on microglia phenotypic heterogeneity. We will determine whether aberrant age-related microglia-specific
epigenetic patterns can be reversed by heterochronic plasma approaches. Additionally, we will determine how
microglia subpopulations differ with age and obesity at a single-cell level with special interests in lipid-droplet-
accumulating microglia (LDAM). The goals of the training are to: 1) obtain a strong knowledge and foundation
in animal and nutritional models of anti-aging and obesity 2) gain hands-on experience in technologies and
bioinformatic skills needed for various omics approaches in specific hippocampal cells and at a single-cell level
3) apply these skills to achieve the research aims outlined in this proposal and 5) gain experience and improve
oral and presentation skills, manuscript and grant writing to enable a transition to independence. In Aim 1, we
hypothesize that exposure of old mice to young plasma will reverse age-related microglia-specific DNA
modifications to restore ‘youthful’ epigenomic patterns. This is based on the premise that DNA modifications are
key regulators of the diverse phenotypes required for the fulfillment of microglia functions which are disrupted in
aging. We will determine whether the administration of plasma from young into old mice can reverse age-related
microglial-specific hippocampal epigenetic and transcriptomic changes in Cx3cr1:NuTRAP mice using whole
genome oxidative bisulfite sequencing (WGoxBS) and RNA sequencing, respectively. These studies will identify
sp

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11263711
- **Project number:** 5K00AG079813-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Victor Afriyie Ansere
- **Activity code:** K00 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** AG
- **Fiscal year:** 2026
- **Award amount:** $78,734
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-12-01T00:00:00 → 2028-01-31T00:00:00

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11263711

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11263711, Reversing age-related epigenetic changes and characterizing microglia heterogeneity in obesity and aging (5K00AG079813-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-20 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11263711. Licensed CC0.

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