Epigenetic Clock Distinguishes Between Chronological and Biological Age

Author: Brigham and Women's Hospital
Published: 2017/04/07 - Updated: 2025/02/23
Publication Type: Announcement
Peer-Reviewed: Yes
Topic: Longevity and Life Span - Publications List

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main - Insights, Updates

Synopsis: Traditional clocks measure chronological time and age, an epigenetic clock can also measure biological age.

Why it matters: This article discusses the development of an epigenetic clock, a tool that measures biological age by analyzing DNA methylation levels across various tissues and cell types. This advancement offers researchers a precise method to assess how factors like diet, genetics, and environmental interventions influence the aging process. By accurately predicting biological age, the epigenetic clock enables the identification of effective strategies to extend lifespan and promote rejuvenation. This is particularly beneficial for seniors and individuals with disabilities, as it provides insights into interventions that may improve health outcomes and quality of life. The article, published by Brigham and Women's Hospital, has undergone peer review, ensuring the credibility and reliability of its findings - Disabled World (DW).

Defining Epigenetic Clock

Epigenetic Clock: An epigenetic clock is a fascinating tool scientists use to measure biological age - basically, how old your body seems at the molecular level, rather than just counting the years since you were born. It works by looking at specific patterns of chemical tags, called methylation marks, that get added to or removed from your DNA over time. These marks don't change the DNA sequence itself, but they influence how genes are turned on or off, reflecting the wear and tear of life, from stress to diet to environmental exposures. By analyzing these patterns, researchers can estimate how fast someone is aging and even predict risks for age-related diseases like cancer or Alzheimer's. It's like a biological odometer, giving us a peek into how time and lifestyle leave their imprint on our cells.

Introduction

Lots of factors can contribute to how fast an organism ages: diet, genetics and environmental interventions can all influence lifespan. But in order to understand how each factor influences aging - and which ones may help slow its progression - researchers need an accurate biomarker, a clock that distinguishes between chronological and biological age. A traditional clock can measure the passage of chronological time and chronological age, but a so-called epigenetic clock can measure biological age.

Main Item

An epigenetic clock is a type of DNA clock based on measuring natural DNA methylation levels to estimate the biological age of a tissue, cell type or organ. The age of many human tissues and cells is reflected in chemical changes to DNA. Biological aging clocks and biomarkers of aging are expected to find many uses in biological research since age is a fundamental characteristic of most organisms. The finding provides insights for cancer, aging, and stem cell research.

Epigenetic clocks already exist to reflect the pace of aging in humans, but in order to measure and test the effects of interventions in the lab, BWH investigators have developed an age-predicting clock designed for studies in mice. The new clock accurately predicts mouse biological age and the effects of genetic and dietary factors, giving the scientific community a new tool to better understand aging and test new interventions. Their results are published in Cell Metabolism.

To develop their "clock," researchers took blood samples from 141 mice and, from among two million sites, pinpointed 90 sites from across the methylome that can predict biological age. (The methylome refers to all of the sites in the genome where chemical changes known as methylation take place, changing how and when DNA information is read.)

The team then tested the effects of interventions that are known to increase lifespan and delay aging, including calorie restriction and gene knockouts. They also used the clock to measure the biological ages of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which resemble younger blood.

The research team hopes that their technique will be useful for researchers who are studying new aging interventions in the lab. Currently, it can take years and hundreds of thousands of dollars to study mice over their lifespans and determine the effectiveness of a single intervention. Although it is no small feat to sequence the entire methylome, the new clock could allow for studies to be carried out much faster and on a larger scale.

"This is a new and much needed tool for studying how changes in diet, environment, genetic manipulations and more can influence health and lifespan," said corresponding author Vadim Gladyshev, PhD, of BWH's Division of Genetics.

"Our hope is that researchers will be able to use this biomarker for aging to find new interventions that can extend lifespan, examine conditions that support rejuvenation and study the biology of aging and lifespan control."

About the Research

Funding for this work was provided by the National Institutes of Health.

Paper cited: Petkovich DA et al. "Using DNA Methylation Profiling to Evaluate Biological Age and Longevity Interventions." Cell Metabolism.

Insights, Analysis, and Developments

Editorial Note:

The development of the epigenetic clock marks a significant milestone in aging research. Its ability to differentiate between chronological and biological age offers a nuanced understanding of the aging process, paving the way for targeted interventions. This tool holds promise not only for the general population but also for enhancing the well-being of seniors and those with disabilities by informing personalized health strategies

- Disabled World (DW).

Attribution/Source(s): This peer reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by Brigham and Women's Hospital and published on 2017/04/07, this content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity. For further details or clarifications, Brigham and Women's Hospital can be contacted at brighamandwomens.org NOTE: Disabled World does not provide any warranties or endorsements related to this article.