New biological age test also estimates time to death, researcher says
7 reported
A new method for measuring biological age, developed by Vadim Gladyshev from Harvard Medical School and colleagues, also provides an estimate of "time to death," according to a commentary in The Guardian. The test is based on patterns of gene activity collected from more than 4,000 people, as well as data from mice, rats and macaques. The researchers believe this method is more sensitive than previous molecular clocks, such as the Horvath clock based on epigenetics. The test is currently for research purposes only, but the author, science writer Helen Pilcher, states she would not want a publicly available version. Pilcher notes that such tests provide estimates of probability, not definitive predictions, and cannot actually tell a person the day they will die. She cites research by Yale University's Becca Levy showing that negative views of ageing are associated with earlier death. The article is a single-source opinion piece from The Guardian.
What’s reported
The new method was devised by Vadim Gladyshev from Harvard Medical School and colleagues.
It is based on patterns of gene activity from more than 4,000 people, plus data from mice, rats and macaques.
The test provides a measure of biological ageing and a "time to death" estimate.
The test is currently for research purposes only.
The author, Helen Pilcher, says she would not want a publicly available version.
The article references the Horvath clock, a previous molecular clock based on epigenetics.
Research by Becca Levy at Yale University found that people with negative views of ageing died, on average, 7.5 years earlier than those with positive beliefs.
Key figures
Vadim Gladyshev, Harvard Medical School researcher
Helen Pilcher, science writer and author
Becca Levy, Yale University researcher
Sources: The Guardian
