A new epigenetic clock based on the analysis of easily collected cheek cells or blood samples has been shown to predict mortality risk.
- Researchers have discovered that the CheekAge DNA test, originally designed to measure biological aging using cells taken from the cheek, can accurately predict mortality risk using blood samples as well.
- Even though nearly half of the test’s DNA markers were not present in the blood, the analysis still demonstrated a strong ability to predict mortality. Participants with the oldest biological age reached a 50% mortality rate approximately 7.8 years earlier than those with the youngest biological age.
- “The fact that our epigenetic clock, designed for oral cells, can predict mortality with blood cells shows that there are common signals of mortality across different tissues in the body.”
A DNA test, originally designed to measure biological aging using cells taken from the cheek, could one day reveal how long we have left to live. Researchers have indeed discovered that this test, called CheekAge, can accurately predict mortality risk also using blood samples, suggesting the existence of common biological markers of aging in different tissues of the body. Their work was published in the journal Frontiers in Aging.
An epigenetic clock to estimate our biological age
The CheekAge epigenetic clock, developed this year, relies on a phenomenon called DNA methylation, a process in which chemical tags attach to DNA to turn certain genes on or off. These modifications are markers of biological age, that is to say the real age of our cells, which does not always correspond to our chronological age. Unlike traditional epigenetic clocks that required blood samples, CheekAge was designed for use with cheek cells, which were easy to collect.
What makes this new study so relevant is that CheekAge was found to be effective in predicting mortality risk, even when applied to blood sample data. The scientists tested their algorithm on blood samples from 1,513 participants in the Lothian Birth Cohorts, a long-term Scottish study following people born in 1921 and 1936. Even though almost half of the DNA markers in the CheekAge test were not present in blood, the analysis still demonstrated a strong ability to predict mortality.
So, for every one standard deviation unit increase between a person’s biological age and their actual age, the risk of death increased by 21%. Participants with the oldest biological age reached a 50% mortality rate approximately 7.8 years earlier than those with the youngest biological age. CheekAge was even found to be more accurate than other well-established epigenetic clocks.
DNA markers to better predict mortality risk
The results also highlighted specific markers that are particularly important for predicting mortality. Among them, a marker associated with the ALPK2 gene, which plays a role in cardiac development and could be involved in certain cancers. When this marker was removed from the analysis, the ability of the test to predict mortality decreased significantly.
“The fact that our epigenetic clock, designed for oral cells, can predict mortality with blood cells shows that there are common mortality signals across different tissues”says Dr Maxim Shokhirev, lead author of the study, in a press release. This suggests that a simple mouth swab could become a valuable tool for studying aging and monitoring health over time.
“Of course, it is important to remember that these tools provide probabilities, not certainties. Advanced biological age does not mean certain doom, just as younger biological age is not a guarantee of longevity.”
