Time matters: circadian genetics and the molecular logic of human health and disease.

Genetic variation in core circadian genes and circadian misalignment are linked to human disease risk, progression, and therapeutic response.

• Why it matters: Understanding how the circadian clock influences health is crucial because it underpins human physiology and disease, yet remains underappreciated and incompletely understood.
• What they did: The review synthesizes recent advances in circadian genetics and molecular mechanisms, highlighting the shift from a linear feedback loop to a dynamic, integrated network, and discusses future research priorities.
• The result: These insights improve our understanding of circadian influence on health and disease, guiding the development of disease-specific models and new tools to modulate circadian pathways for therapeutic benefit.