Yunsung Lee
Researcher
Contact
Department
Responsibilities
I have a background in statistical genetics, with a Ph.D. degree (epigenetic aging and telomere biology) from Folkehelseinstituttet & the University of Oslo and a Master degree in statistics from the the University of Oslo.
The research interest of mine has lain in biological aging of young adults. Studies have well documented the mere impact of aging on reproductive or physical capacity but have scarcely highlighted the interpersonal difference in biological aging in peer groups and its impact on long term medical conditions. This is due to the absence of a reliable and replicable biomarker of aging. To address this, several epigenetic aging clocks, designed to quantify biological age, were developed and linked to various elderly diseases. In this context, I shifted the focus to young adults in their reproductive years and studied the association between epigenetic age and infertility [PMID: 35771672]. I found that only one epigenetic clock was associated with infertility, indicating that biological aging might consist of multiple aspects.
Projects and publications
- Hyeokmoon Kweon, Casper A. P. Burik, Yuchen Ning, Rafael Ahlskog, Charley Xia, Erik Abner, Yanchun Bao, Laxmi Bhatta, Tariq O. Faquih, Maud de Feijter, Paul Fisher, Andrea Gelemanović, Alexandros Giannelis, Jouke-Jan Hottenga, Bita Khalili, Yunsung Lee, Ruifang Li-Gao, Jaan Masso, Ronny Myhre, Teemu Palviainen, Cornelius A. Rietveld, Alexander Teumer, Renske M. Verweij, Emily A. Willoughby, Esben Agerbo, Sven Bergmann, Dorret I. Boomsma, Anders D. Børglum, Ben Michael Brumpton, Neil Martin Davies, Tõnu Esko, Scott D. Gordon, Georg Homuth, M. Arfan Ikram, Magnus Johannesson, Jaakko Kaprio, Michael P. Kidd, Zoltán Kutalik, Alex S. F. Kwong, James J. Lee, Annemarie I. Luik, Per Minor Magnus, Pedro Marques-Vidal, Nicholas G. Martin, Dennis O. Mook-Kanamori, Preben Bo Mortensen, Sven Oskarsson, Emil M. Pedersen, Ozren Polašek, Frits Richard Rosendaal, Melissa C. Smart, Harold Snieder, Peter J. van der Most, Peter Vollenweider, Henry Völzke, Gonneke Willemsen, Jonathan P. Beauchamp, Thomas A. DiPrete, Richard Karlsson Linnér, Qiongshi Lu, Tim T. Morris, Aysu Okbay, K. Paige Harden, Abdel Abdellaoui, W. David Hill, Ronald de Vlaming, Daniel J. Benjamin, Philipp D. Koellinger, (2025). Associations between common genetic variants and income provide insights about the socio-economic health gradient. Nature Human Behaviour doi: 10.1038/s41562-024-02080-7
- Laura L. Oakley, Dana Kristjansson, Monica Cheng Munthe-Kaas, Huong Thu Nguyen, Yunsung Lee, Hans Ivar Hanevik, Liv Bente Bergem Romundstad, Robert Lyle, Siri Eldevik Håberg, (2024). Sex differences in childhood cancer risk following ART conception: a registry-based study. Human Reproduction s. 382-390. doi: 10.1093/humrep/deae285
- Karoline Hansen Skåra, Yunsung Lee, Astanand Jugessur, Håkon K. Gjessing, Abraham Aviv, Ben Michael Brumpton, Øyvind Erik Næss, Alvaro Hernaez Camba, Hans Ivar Hanevik, Per Minor Magnus, Maria Christine Magnus, (2024). Telomere length in relation to fecundability and use of assisted reproductive technologies: the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study. BMC Medicine doi: 10.1186/s12916-024-03795-0
- Maria Christine Magnus, Yunsung Lee, Ellen Øen Carlsen, Lise Andrea Arge, Astanand Jugessur, Liv Grimstvedt Kvalvik, Nils-Halvdan Morken, Cecilia H. Ramlau-Hansen, Miko Myrskyla, Per Minor Magnus, Siri Eldevik Håberg, (2024). Parental epigenetic age acceleration and risk of adverse birth outcomes: the Norwegian mother, father and child cohort study. BMC Medicine doi: 10.1186/s12916-024-03780-7
- Lise Andrea Arge, Yunsung Lee, Karoline Hansen Skåra, Mikko Myrskylä, Cecilia Høst Ramlau-Hansen, Siri Eldevik Håberg, Maria Christine Magnus, (2024). Epigenetic aging and fecundability: the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study. Human Reproduction s. 2806-2815. doi: 10.1093/humrep/deae242
- Dana Kristjansson, Yunsung Lee, Christian Magnus Page, Håkon K. Gjessing, Maria Christine Magnus, Astanand Jugessur, Robert Lyle, Siri Eldevik Håberg, (2024). Sex differences in DNA methylation variations according to ART conception-evidence from the Norwegian mother, father, and child cohort study. Scientific Reports doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-73845-3
- Karoline Hansen Skåra, Yunsung Lee, Astanand Jugessur, Håkon K. Gjessing, Abraham AVIV, Ben Michael Brumpton, Øyvind Erik Næss, Alvaro Hernaez Camba, Hans Ivar Hanevik, Per Minor Magnus, Maria Christine Magnus, (2024). Telomere length in relation to fecundability and use of assisted reproductive technologies: the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study. Research Square doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4430021/v1
- Yunsung Lee, Astanand Jugessur, Håkon K. Gjessing, Jennifer Ruth Harris, Ezra Susser, Per Minor Magnus, Abraham Aviv, (2024). Effect of polygenic scores of telomere length alleles on telomere length in newborns and parents. Aging Cell doi: 10.1111/acel.14241
- Marta H. Hernandez, Jacqueline Mallory Cohen, Karoline Hansen Skåra, Thea Karoline Walstad Grindstad, Yunsung Lee, Per Magnus, Pål Rasmus Njølstad, Ole A. Andreassen, Elizabeth Claire Corfield, Alexandra Havdahl, Espen Molden, Kari Furu, Maria Christine Magnus, Alvaro Hernaez Camba, (2024). Placental efflux transporters and antiseizure or antidepressant medication use impact birth weight in MoBa cohort. iScience doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109285
- Tim Cadman, Katrine Strandberg-Larsen, Lucinda Calas, Malina Christiansen, Iryna Culpin, Payam Dadvand, Montserrat de Castro, Maria Foraster, Serena Fossati, Mònica Guxens, Jennifer Ruth Harris, Manon Hillegers, Vincent Jaddoe, Yunsung Lee, Johanna Lepeule, Hanan el Marroun, Milena Maule, Rosie McEachen, Chiara Moccia, Johanna Lucia Thorbjørnsrud Nader, Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, Anne-Marie Nybo Andersen, Rebecca Pearson, Morris Swertz, Marina Vafeiadi, Martine Vrijheid, John Wright, Deborah A Lawlor, Marie Pedersen, (2024). Urban environment in pregnancy and postpartum depression: An individual participant data meta-analysis of 12 European birth cohorts. Environment International doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108453
- Julia Onsrud Opsahl, Nicolas Fragoso Bargas, Y. Lee, E. Ø. Carlsen, Nadezhda Kiryushchenko, E. Qvigstad, L. Sletner, A. K. Jenum, S. Lee-Ødegård, R. B. Prasad, K. I. Birkeland, G-H. Moen, C. Sommer, (2024). Epigenome-wide association study of DNA methylation in maternal blood leukocytes with BMI in pregnancy and gestational weight gain. International Journal of Obesity s. 584-593. doi: 10.1038/s41366-024-01458-x
- Thanh T. Hoang, Yunsung Lee, Daniel L. McCartney, Elin T. G. Kersten, Christian Magnus Page, Paige M. Hulls, Mikyeong Lee, Rosie M. Walker, Charles E. Breeze, Brian D. Bennett, Adam B. Burkholder, James Ward, Anne Lise Brantsæter, Ida H. Caspersen, Alison A. Motsinger-Reif, Marie Richards, Julie D. White, Shanshan Zhao, Rebecca C. Richmond, Maria Christine Magnus, Gerard H. Koppelman, Kathryn L. Evans, Riccardo E. Marioni, Siri E. Håberg, Stephanie J. London, (2024). Comprehensive evaluation of smoking exposures and their interactions on DNA methylation. EBioMedicine s. 1-16. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2023.104956
- Ignacio Garcia Llorente, Yunsung Lee, Ola Brønstad Brynildsrud, Vegard Eldholm, Per Minor Magnus, Anita Blomfeldt, Truls Michael Leegaard, Fredrik Müller, Susanne Dudman, Dominique Andree Yvette Caugant, (2023). Tracing the adaptive evolution of SARS-CoV-2 during vaccine roll-out in Norway. Virus Evolution doi: 10.1093/ve/vead081
- Alvaro Hernaez Camba, Yunsung Lee, Christian Magnus Page, Karoline Hansen Skåra, Siri Eldevik Håberg, Per Minor Magnus, Pål Rasmus Njølstad, Ole Andreassen, Elizabeth Claire Corfield, Alexandra Havdahl, Abigail Fraser, Stephen Burgess, Deborah A. Lawlor, Maria Christine Magnus, (2023). Impaired glucose tolerance and cardiovascular risk factors in relation to infertility: A Mendelian randomization analysis in the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study. Human Reproduction s. 436-441. doi: 10.1093/humrep/dead234
- Siri Nærland Skodvin, Håkon Kristian Gjessing, Astanand Jugessur, Julia Romanowska, Christian Magnus Page, Elizabeth Claire Corfield, Yunsung Lee, Siri Eldevik Håberg, Miriam Gjerdevik, (2023). Statistical methods to detect mother-father genetic interaction effects on risk of infertility: A genome-wide approach. Genetic Epidemiology s. 503-519. doi: 10.1002/gepi.22534
- Kristine Løkås Haftorn, Julia Romanowska, Yunsung Lee, Christian Magnus Page, Per Minor Magnus, Siri Eldevik Håberg, Jon Bohlin, Astanand Jugessur, William Robert Paul Denault, (2023). Stability selection enhances feature selection and enables accurate prediction of gestational age using only five DNA methylation sites. Clinical Epigenetics doi: 10.1186/s13148-023-01528-3
- Julia Romanowska, Haakon Egdetveit Nustad, Christian Magnus Page, William Robert Paul Denault, Yunsung Lee, Maria Christine Magnus, Kristine Løkås Haftorn, Miriam Gjerdevik, Boris Novakovic, Richard Saffery, Håkon K. Gjessing, Robert Lyle, Per Minor Magnus, Siri Eldevik Håberg, Astanand Jugessur, (2023). The X-factor in ART: does the use of assisted reproductive technologies influence DNA methylation on the X chromosome?. Human Genomics doi: 10.1186/s40246-023-00484-6
- Kristine Løkås Haftorn, William Robert Paul Denault, Yunsung Lee, Christian Magnus Page, Julia Romanowska, Robert Lyle, Øyvind Erik Næss, Dana Kristjansson, Per Minor Magnus, Siri Eldevik Håberg, Jon Bohlin, Astanand Jugessur, (2023). Nucleated red blood cells explain most of the association between DNA methylation and gestational age. Communications Biology doi: 10.1038/s42003-023-04584-w
- Julia Romanowska, Haakon Nustad, Christian Magnus Page, William Robert Paul Denault, Jon Bohlin, Yunsung Lee, maria magnus, Kristine Løkås Haftorn, Miriam Gjerdevik, Boris Novakovic, Richard Saffrey, Håkon Gjessing, Robert Lyle, Per Magnus, Siri Eldevik Håberg, Astanand Jugessur, (2022). The X-factor in ART: does the use of Assisted Reproductive Technologies influence DNA methylation on the X chromosome?. bioRxiv doi: 10.1101/2022.10.06.510603
- Ellen Øen Carlsen, Yunsung Lee, Per Minor Magnus, Astanand Jugessur, Christian Magnus Page, Haakon Egdetveit Nustad, Siri Eldevik Håberg, Rolv Terje Lie, Maria Christine Magnus, (2022). An examination of mediation by DNA methylation on birthweight differences induced by assisted reproductive technologies. Clinical Epigenetics doi: 10.1186/s13148-022-01381-w
- Mona Bekkhus, Yunsung Lee, Sven Ove Samuelsen, Stella Tsotsi, Per Minor Magnus, (2022). Maternal and paternal anxiety during pregnancy: Comparing the effects on behavioral problems in offspring. PLOS ONE doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0275085
- Yunsung Lee, Espen Riskedal, Karl Trygve Kalleberg, Mette Stausland Istre, Andreas Lind, Fridtjof Lund-Johansen, Olaug Marie Reiakvam, Arne Vasli Søraas, Jennifer Ruth Harris, John Arne Dahl, Cathrine Lund Hadley, Astanand Jugessur, (2022). EWAS of post-COVID-19 patients shows methylation differences in the immune-response associated gene, IFI44L, three months after COVID-19 infection. Scientific Reports doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-15467-1
- Jon Bohlin, Christian Magnus Page, Yunsung Lee, John H.-O. Pettersson, Astanand Jugessur, Per Minor Magnus, Siri Eldevik Håberg, (2022). Age and sex effects on DNA methylation sites linked to genes implicated in severe COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 host cell entry. PLOS ONE doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0269105
- Yunsung Lee, Jon Bohlin, Christian Magnus Page, Haakon Egdetveit Nustad, Jennifer Ruth Harris, Per Minor Magnus, Astanand Jugessur, Maria Christine Magnus, Siri Eldevik Håberg, Hans Ivar Hanevik, (2022). Associations between epigenetic age acceleration and infertility. Human Reproduction s. 2063-2074. doi: 10.1093/humrep/deac147
- Siri Eldevik Håberg, Christian Magnus Page, Yunsung Lee, Haakon Egdetveit Nustad, Maria Christine Magnus, Kristine Løkås Haftorn, Ellen Øen Carlsen, William Robert Paul Denault, Jon Bohlin, Astanand Jugessur, Per Minor Magnus, Håkon Kristian Gjessing, Robert Lyle, (2022). DNA methylation in newborns conceived by assisted reproductive technology. Nature Communications s. 1-12. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-29540-w
- Mona Bekkhus, Yunsung Lee, Ragnhild Eek Brandlistuen, Sven Ove Samuelsen, Per Minor Magnus, (2021). Maternal Anxiety and Infants Birthweight and Length of Gestation. A sibling design. BMC Psychiatry doi: 10.1186/s12888-021-03620-5
- Kristine Løkås Haftorn, Yunsung Lee, William Robert Paul Denault, Christian Magnus Page, Haakon Egdetveit Nustad, Robert Lyle, Håkon Kristian Gjessing, Anni Malmberg, Maria Christine Magnus, Øyvind Erik Næss, Darina Czamara, Katri Räikkönen, Jari Lahti, Per Minor Magnus, Siri Eldevik Håberg, Astanand Jugessur, Jon Bohlin, (2021). An EPIC predictor of gestational age and its application to newborns conceived by assisted reproductive technologies. Clinical Epigenetics doi: 10.1186/s13148-021-01055-z
- Yunsung Lee, Kristine Løkås Jacobsen, William Robert Paul Denault, Haakon Egdetveit Nustad, Christian Page, Robert Lyle, Sindre Lee-Ødegård, Gunn-Helen Moen, Rashmi B. Prasad, Leif C. Groop, Line Sletner, Christine Sommer, Maria Christine Magnus, Håkon K. Gjessing, Jennifer Ruth Harris, Per Magnus, Siri Eldevik Håberg, Astanand Jugessur, Jon Bohlin, (2020). Blood-based epigenetic estimators of chronological age in human adults using DNA methylation data from the Illumina MethylationEPIC array. BMC Genomics doi: 10.1186/s12864-020-07168-8
- Yunsung Lee, Dianjianyi Sun, Anil P.S. Ori, Ake T. Lu, Anne Seeboth, Sarah E. Harris, Ian J. Deary, Riccardo E. Marioni, Mette Sørensen, Jonas Mengel-From, Jacob Hjelmborg, Kaare Christensen, James G. Wilson, Daniel Levy, Alex P. Reiner, Wei Chen, Shengxu Li, Jennifer Ruth Harris, Per Magnus, Abraham Aviv, Astanand Jugessur, Steve Horvath, (2019). Epigenome-wide association study of leukocyte telomere length. Aging s. 5876-5894. doi: 10.18632/aging.102230
- Yunsung Lee, Sanaa Choufani, Rosanna Weksberg, Samantha L. Wilson, Victor Yuan, Amber Burt, Carmen Marsit, Ake T. Lu, Beate Ritz, Jon Bohlin, Håkon K. Gjessing, Jennifer Ruth Harris, Per Magnus, Alexandra M. Binder, Wendy P. Robinson, Astanand Jugessur, Steve Horvath, (2019). Placental epigenetic clocks: estimating gestational age using placental DNA methylation levels. Aging s. 4238-4253. doi: 10.18632/aging.102049
- Yunsung Lee, Per Magnus, (2018). Maternal and Paternal Height and the Risk of Preeclampsia. Hypertension s. 666-670. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.117.10477
- Mona Bekkhus, Yunsung Lee, Rannveig Nordhagen, Per Magnus, Sven Ove Samuelsen, Anne Inger Helmen Borge, (2018). Re-examining the link between prenatal maternal anxiety and child emotional difficulties, using a sibling design. International Journal of Epidemiology s. 156-165. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyx186
- Lise Andrea Arge, Maria Christine Magnus, Siri Eldevik Håberg, Yunsung Lee, (2023). The Association Between Epigenetic Age Acceleration and Fecundability.
- Kristine Løkås Haftorn, Julia Romanowska, Yunsung Lee, Christian Magnus Page, Per Minor Magnus, Siri Eldevik Håberg, Jon Bohlin, Astanand Jugessur, William Robert Paul Denault, (2023). Stability selection enhances feature selection and enables accurate prediction of gestational age using only five DNA methylation sites..
- Yunsung Lee, Miriam Gjerdevik, Astanand Jugessur, Håkon Kristian Gjessing, Elizabeth Claire Corfield, Alexandra Havdahl, Jennifer Ruth Harris, Maria Christine Magnus, Siri Eldevik Håberg, Per Minor Magnus, (2023). Parent-of-origin effects on childhood asthma.
- Yunsung Lee, Hans Ivar Hanevik, (2022). Early menopause and epigenetic biomarkers of ageing. Reproductive Biomedicine Online doi: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2022.09.016
- Yunsung Lee, (2022). Associations between epigenetic biomarkers of aging and infertility.