An international group of researchers has proposed a new approach to determining the biological age of a person. The results were published in the online journal Scientific Reports. The project was attended by scientists from the Nizhny Novgorod University. Lobachevsky, University of Bologna (Italy) and University College London (UK).
The authors of the work studied one of the main indicators of a person's biological age – DNA methylation – a change in DNA molecules that can “turn on” and “turn off” certain genes. This process is necessary for the development of a living organism, specialization of stem cells, and the formation of tissues and organs. By measuring methylation, one can understand the degree and rate of aging of the body.
Until now, the epigenetic clock – a set of parameters for determining biological age – took into account the uniform, linear change in methylation rates throughout life. The researchers analyzed longitudinal data from 442 Swedish twins followed for over ten years and single data from 729 Swedish men and women. Reconstruction of individual trajectories of DNA methylation showed that this process is most often uneven and this is no coincidence. Methylation corresponds to the unique characteristics of the development of the organism, such as genetics and the environment (socio-economic status of a person, his lifestyle, habits, climate, ecology, and many others).
“People are very different, but until now we did not know how these differences affect age-related diseases, how we age. For personalized medicine, it is very important to understand the trajectories of development, adaptation, aging of each individual. The main result of our research is that we saw that people really age in different ways, ”commented Mikhail Ivanchenko, Vice-Rector for Research at Lobachevsky University.
The results obtained explain the large heterogeneity in methylation, which is observed in the elderly, as well as in people with age-related pathologies: Down's syndrome, Alzheimer's disease, and oncological diseases. The study authors plan to develop a more accurate epigenetic clock that will take into account individual biological age trajectories. This is another step in the study of the mechanisms of aging and the development of personalized medicine.
Read also:
Shao Prize Winners Announced
Record start
A new approach will help save X-ray studies from disastrous results due to the peculiarities of monocrystalline optics
A new method for obtaining the terbium medical radionuclide has been proposed
Physicists have created a nanoelectromechanical system to capture a quantum vortex
