Biomarkers of aging

Abstract

Aging biomarkers are a combination of biological parameters to (i) assess age-related changes, (ii) track the physiological aging process, and (iii) predict the transition into a pathological status. Although a broad spectrum of aging biomarkers has been developed, their potential uses and limitations remain poorly characterized. An immediate goal of biomarkers is to help us answer the following three fundamental questions in aging research: How old are we? Why do we get old? And how can we age slower? This review aims to address this need. Here, we summarize our current knowledge of biomarkers developed for cellular, organ, and organismal levels of aging, comprising six pillars: physiological characteristics, medical imaging, histological features, cellular alterations, molecular changes, and secretory factors. To fulfill all these requisites, we propose that aging biomarkers should qualify for being specific, systemic, and clinically relevant. Supporting Information The supporting information is available online at 10.1007/s11427-023-2305-0. The supporting materials are published as submitted, without typesetting or editing. The responsibility for scientific accuracy and content remains entirely with the authors.

Fasting mimicking diet extends lifespan and improves intestinal and cognitive health

“…The brain is an organ sensitive to aging, and with the onset of aging, a series of neurodegenerative changes occur, 2 mainly in the form of cognitive decline, neuronal loss, and loss of synapse. Caloric restriction has been reported to optimize brain functions through neuronal activity and neurochemistry.…”

“…1 As the primary digestive tract and the largest immune barrier in the body, the intestine exhibits reduced digestive and absorptive capacity due to aging, as well as weakened barrier function, which can lead to various diseases such as malnutrition and systemic inflammation from a leaky gut. 2 At the cellular level, senescent cells can damage tissues through secreting pro-inflammatory components of the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). 3…”

Age-Invariant Genes: Multi-Tissue Identification and Characterization of Murine Reference Genes

“…Much of aging biology research has focused on changes that occur across the organismal lifespan and the contribution of these changes to age-related mortality, morbidity, and functional decline [1,38]. Molecular signatures that are robust to aging – specifically, age-invariant genes – have received comparatively little attention.…”

“…Aging, the accumulation of cellular, molecular, and physiological alterations in an organism over time, increases the risk of dysfunction, chronic disease, and mortality [1]. The advent of next-generation sequencing and other high-throughput technologies has allowed for data-driven analyses to discover age-linked gene expression changes and dysregulation.…”

Pipeline for RNA sequencing data analysis by combination of Nextflow and R

“…Because of the advantages of different tools, the combination of various tools allows us to customize our bioinformatics analysis flexibly [9]. My pipeline was built by the combination of Nextflow nf-core rnaseq pipeline and R with many R packages.…”