Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42282509›Full record

ArticlebioRxiv : the preprint server for biology2026

CpG Atlas: A centralized multi-layer database and AI interface for DNA methylation research.

Jenel F Armstrong, Shawn Wahi, Daniel Borrus, Raghav Sehgal, Syed Rizvi, Shiyang Zhang, Macsue Jacques, Nir Eynon, David van Dijk, Albert Higgins-Chen

Abstract readPreprint
In one paragraph

Article in bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Jenel F ArmstrongProgram in Computational Biology and Biomedical Informatics, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.ORCID 0009-0001-4401-0986
Shawn WahiDepartment of Internal Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
Daniel BorrusDepartment of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-1493-0896
Raghav SehgalDepartment of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-9387-1758
Syed RizviDepartment of Computer Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-7932-9524
Shiyang ZhangDepartment of Computer Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
Macsue JacquesAustralian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI), Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-4337-7022
Nir EynonAustralian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI), Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-4046-8276
David van DijkDepartment of Internal Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-3911-9925
Albert Higgins-ChenDepartment of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-2904-2741

Funding

QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT OF BIOLOGICAL AGE AND ITS APPLICATIONSR01AG065403 · NIA · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI Vadim N. Gladyshev, Albert Tzongyang Higgins-Chen · 2020 to 2026
$4.2M
An integrative, data-driven, and computational approach to uncovering dynamic mechanisms of early viral infectionR35GM143072 · NIGMS · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI VAN DIJK, DAVID · 2021 to 2025
$2.1M
Network on Measurement of Biological RiskR24AG037898 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · PI CRIMMINS, EILEEN M, SEEMAN, TERESA E · 2010 to 2014
$1.1M
NIA NIH HHS R01 AG065403NIA NIH HHS R24 AG037898NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM143072
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

DNA methylation research has vastly expanded over the past decade, producing a wealth of epigenome-wide association studies, biomarker algorithms such as epigenetic clocks, technical performance analyses, and functional annotations for CpG sites. However, these resources remain fragmented across dozens of databases and supplementary files within manuscripts, forcing researchers to spend time and effort on data cleaning and integration prior to meaningful analyses. No single resource currently unifies this information into a centralized, easy-to-query framework. Here, we present CpG Atlas, a curated relational database that integrates 18 distinct annotation layers encompassing over 1.2 million CpG sites across all four generations of Illumina methylation arrays (HM450K, EPIC v1, EPIC v2, and MSA). Built on a snowflake schema with a canonical probe identifier hub implemented in SQL, CpG Atlas consolidates over 800,000 CpG-trait associations, results from Mendelian randomization analyses, CpG membership across 81 epigenetic clocks, array manifest information, and probe reliability data. It further includes specialized layers such as solo-WCGW, CoRSIVs, PRC2 binding, transposon and retroelement annotations, tissue-specific differentially methylated positions across 17 tissues, and hallmarks of aging and cancer. To maximize utility and ease of use, the database is paired with an interactive web tool and a natural language-to-SQL query interface, enabling users to quickly perform complex multi-dimensional queries. Detailed documentation about every data source and table is also provided, facilitating the identification and interpretation of relevant studies. We demonstrate the utility of CpG Atlas through two case studies: a systematic enrichment analysis revealing distinct functional signatures across 16 epigenetic clocks, and an iterative biomarker discovery workflow for IBD that leverages cross-layer integration. Because it is readily scalable simply by adding or updating tables in the database, CpG Atlas provides a continuously evolving and extensible infrastructure for the epigenetics community that supports collaborative research, interpretable biomarker development, and integrative analyses across the growing landscape of epigenetic data.

Identifiers

PMID42282509
PMCPMC13251951

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.