Co-Investigator, Health and Retirement Study
Contact Information
515 Delaware Street SE, Room 1-136 Moos Tower
MMC 609
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Phone: 612-624-1257
E-mail: [email protected]
Education
Ph.D., University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, 2004
M.P.H., University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, 2000
M.B.B.S., Grant Medical College, 1998
Research and Projects
Dr. Thyagarajan is director of the Division of Molecular Pathology and Genomics, and a faculty investigator in the Advanced Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (ARDL). The MDL processes some 25,000 specimens annually related to inherited and infectious diseases, bone marrow engraftment, and blood and solid tumor malignancies. Thyagarajan and his MDL colleagues are implementing next-generation DNA sequencing (NGS) for diagnosing genetic disease.
Selected Recent Publications
Crimmins EM, Thyagarajan B, Levine ME, Weir DR, Faul J. Associations of Age, Sex, Race/Ethnicity and Education with 13 Epigenetic Clocks in a Nationally Representative US Sample: The Health and Retirement Study. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A . 2021;76(6):1117-1123. doi:10.1093/gerona/glab016
Arpawong T, Cole S, Badhesha H, et al. How epigenetic clocks tick: Unpacking the black box by deciphering biological pathways and transcriptomic signatures of accelerated aging. Research square. 2026. doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-8844558/v1
Zidar D, Freeman M, Wilson B, et al. Specific Deficiency of Naïve CD4+ T Lymphocytes Characterizes Heart Failure and Heightens Mortality Risk in the HRS. Journal of the American Heart Association. 2026;15(6):e042475. doi:10.1161/JAHA.125.042475
Choi EY, Seshadri G, Ailshire J, Thyagarajan B. Associations of current and birthplace region with immunity in later life in the health and retirement study. Social science & medicine (1982). 2026;404:119432. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2026.119432
Sullivan S, Joseph B, Sharma S, et al. Adaptive immune cells and kidney function in older adults: sex-specific associations in the health and retirement study (HRS). Frontiers in aging. 2026;7:1882462. doi:10.3389/fragi.2026.1882462