The focus of Dr. Jan Vijg’s research interests is the causal relationship between somatic DNA mutations, aging and age-related diseases. His research has led to the development and application of mouse and Drosophila models for studying somatic mutations in vivo. More recently, his lab in New York has developed single-cell whole genome sequencing methods for quantitatively analyzing genome-wide mutations in primary human cells. At the CSCOmics his research is focused on the application of these methods to study the possible causal relationship between somatic mutations and two common diseases: atherosclerosis and osteoarthritis.