Leveraging Biomarkers of Aging

TL;DR

This paper discusses how biomarkers can help assess biological age and how quickly people age, using various types of health data.

Contribution

The paper provides an updated overview of the strengths and weaknesses of aging biomarkers and their applications.

Findings

Biomarkers can predict future health outcomes and inform interventions.

Multiple data types are useful for assessing biological age.

There are both strengths and limitations in current biomarker applications.

Abstract

There is considerable interest in using diverse forms of data—e.g., routine and advanced laboratory tests, diagnostic images, physiological measures, and wearable outputs—to assess states of biological vs. chronological age and rates of biological vs. chronological aging. Without question, biomarkers offer incredible potential in research and clinical practice as predictors of future health and as informers of what, how, when, and in whom exposures, behaviors, and interventions affect aging. This symposium will provide an update on the latest advances in, and strengths and weaknesses of, biomarkers of aging and their application.