Innsbruck researchers are making a significant contribution to a new international concept for aging research. A new framework for so-called biomarkers makes it easier to define the biological process of aging. In this way, the researchers are also enabling new ways of preventing age-related diseases.
As the world population ages, so does the prevalence of age-related diseases such as cancer, dementia, cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases. This puts a significant strain on healthcare systems and social support networks, leading to an ever-increasing demand for specialized care and resources.
Research since the 1930s has suggested that the aging process can be delayed or even reversed in a number of ways. For example, a time limit on food intake can increase the life expectancy of mice and prevent several age-related diseases. In order to apply these findings to humans and thus increase the number of healthy years of life, it is necessary to be able to define, understand and measure the biological aging process.
This is made possible by so-called “biomarkers” – these are objective biological measurements that provide information about a biological process and could thereby help to measure the aging process in individuals and to identify the risk of age-related diseases. However, since aging is composed of many different processes, there has been no consensus among experts on how best to apply biomarkers.
Two scientists from the University of Innsbruck, Chiara Herzog and Martin Widschwendter, together with researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Harvard University, USA) and more than 20 other experts in aging research, have now developed worldwide frameworks for biomarker Coverage systematically adapted and extended to define ‘biomarkers of aging’ and their clinical applications. The paper on this was published today in the renowned specialist journal “Cell”.
Living longer and healthier through aging research
Biomarkers are reliable biological characteristics that can be measured objectively and thus allow conclusions to be drawn about the state of health. These can be, for example, individual molecules, clinical or functional measurements (e.g. walking speed or body mass index), or even digitally recorded measurements – for example from fitness trackers. Although some molecular or clinical biomarkers of aging have been proposed in recent years, none of them have been clinically established.
“Aging research has the potential to help us live longer and healthier lives,” says Chiara Herzog, who conducts research at the European Translational Oncology Prevention and Screening Institute (EUTOPS) and at the Research Institute for Biomedical Aging Research at the University of Innsbruck. “In this work, our consortium has for the first time brought about agreement between international experts on how we can study biomarkers of aging. This joint work has also identified important research directions for the future.” Herzog is one of the first authors of the study and part of the international consortium. “Our new concept forms the basis for robust biomarkers for aging research, which should benefit the population and find clinical application.” Such biomarkers could be used, for example, to record the individual effectiveness of preventive measures such as diet, smoking cessation and exercise. The risk of age-related diseases can also be identified.
“Epigenetic markings on the DNA, which are shaped by aging and environmental influences and regulate the activity of our genes, are promising biomarkers that could allow us to customize our health care and preventive measures,” emphasizes Martin Widschwendter, Professor of Oncology and Prevention at the University of Innsbruck and head of the EUTOPS.
By classifying the pros and cons of various existing biomarkers, the team was also able to compile a list of criteria that researchers can use to determine whether a candidate biomarker might be useful in a given case. Key criteria are, for example, the generalizability of a biomarker: biomarkers are often developed in Europe and the USA, but they should work in all population groups regardless of ethnicity. The researchers also propose standardized protocols to prepare a biomarker for clinical use. In December 2023, the first symposium of the new consortium, which Herzog is helping to organize, will take place in San Francisco. “We look forward to working with international experts to enable new findings for aging research and then to apply them here in Tyrol.”
Publication:
Biomarkers of aging for the identification and evaluation of longevity interventions. Mahdi Moqri, Chiara Herzog, Jesse R. Poganik, Jamie Justice, Daniel Belsky, Albert Higgins-Chen, Alexey Moskalev, Georg Fuellen, Alan A. Cohen, Ivan Bautmans, Martin Widschwendter, Jingzhong Ding, Alexander Fleming, Joan Mannick, Jing- Dong Jackie Han, Alex Zhavoronkov, Nir Barzilai, Matt Kaeberlein, Steven Cummings, Brian Kennedy, Luigi Ferrucci, Steve Horvath, Eric Verdin, Andrea B. Maier, Michael P. Snyder, Vittorio Sebastiano, Vadim N. Gladyshev and Biomarkers of Aging Consortium . Cell. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2023.08.003
Für weitere Informationen zu dieser Pressemeldung kontaktieren Sie bitte: Dr. Chiara Herzog Forschungsinstitut für Biomedizinische Alternsforschung Universität Innsbruck E-Mail: [email protected] Web: eutops.at Fabian Oswald, MA Büro für Öffentlichkeitsarbeit Universität Innsbruck Tel.: +43 512 507-32020 E-Mail: [email protected] Web: www.uibk.ac.at