Biomarkers of Aging Consortium

🏆 Congratulations to our Biomarkers of Aging Challenge Phase 1: Chronological Age Prediction winners! Our participants showcased remarkable predictive accuracy, achieving an average error of less than 3 years. 🥇 1st Place: Julian Reinhard, also known as “DarthVenter,” Machine Learning Scientist at Evotec, achieved a final score of 2.45 years age error. Julian will receive $15,000 USD in cash prizes! 🥈 2nd Place: Lucas Paulo de Lima Camillo, Head of Machine Learning at Shift Bioscience, achieved a final score of 2.55 years age error. Lucas will receive $10,000 USD in cash prizes! 🥉 3rd Place: Team “ZetaPartition”, comprising academics Jakob Träuble and Stefan Jokiel, achieved a final score of 2.46 years age error. The team will receive $5,000 USD in cash prizes! Check out our Age Prediction Leaderboard on Synapse for the final rankings here: https://lnkd.in/euap2uAv ℹ About Our Challenge & Why Evaluate Chronological Age: The Biomarkers of Aging Challenge aims to generate and benchmark the best prediction models for chronological age, mortality, and multi-morbidity. 📊 The challenge leverages a unique, high-quality dataset that includes DNA methylation and aging outcome data for over 500 diverse individuals. DNA methylation and other first-generation biomarkers of aging are often trained to predict chronological age. Deviations between predicted and actual age (prediction errors) can indicate 'higher' or 'lower' biological age, which has been linked to age-related health outcomes, including mortality. Phase 2 of our Challenge, evaluating mortality, has now launched. You can join Phase 2 here: https://lnkd.in/epbXc9ZU Once again, congratulations to our winners, and thank you to all participants for their outstanding contributions!

In our most recent collaborative work led by Vittorio Sebastiano's lab, Consortium members, Mahdi Moqri, Andrea Cipriano, Kejun Ying, Vadim Gladyshev, and Steve Horvath have identified the PRC2-AgeIndex as a universal biomarker of aging and rejuvenation. This study focused on DNA methylation changes, particularly those enriched in PRC2 targets across mammalian tissues. This new Index measures aging and rejuvenation looking at the entire methylome; the first whole-genome study of epigenetic modulation of PRC2 complex binding regions in cellular aging and rejuvenation. Low-methylated regions bound by PRC2 in embryonic stem cells gain methylation with age were found in somatic cells. This change represents around 90% of the age-dependent DNA methylation gain genome-wide, suggesting a significant epigenetic marker of aging. Using whole-genome bisulfite sequencing, we also found that the PRC2-AgeIndex can distinguish the effect of different anti-aging interventions. This index remains robust across different tissues and does not require prior training, making it a versatile biomarker. The PRC2-AgeIndex also demonstrated the effects of rejuvenation treatments. For example, caloric restriction and epigenetic reprogramming showed a significant reduction in the PRC2-AgeIndex, indicating potential for reversing age-related methylation changes. For a comprehensive understanding of the PRC2-AgeIndex and its implications in aging research, read the open access article published in Nature Communications 👉 https://lnkd.in/et_J8Ax8

In this landmark collaborative study, several Consortium colleagues, including Kejun Ying, Mahdi Moqri, Vadim Gladyshev, explored molecular mechanisms of aging and mortality using RNA-seq analysis on mice treated with 20 compounds, utilizing over 4,000 mouse tissue samples. They identified 26 co-regulated modules related to inflammation, mitochondrial function, and lipid metabolism. These modules reveal shared molecular mechanisms across species, highlighting key biological functions. Universal signatures of mortality, such as Cdkn1a and Lgals3, were found. These biomarkers extended to human data, demonstrating common aging mechanisms across cell types and species. Module-specific clocks were developed to identify molecular hallmarks of aging and rejuvenation mechanisms through interventions like heterochronic parabiosis, offering insights into potential anti-aging interventions. Overall, this study uncovers molecular hallmarks of mammalian mortality shared across organs, cell types, species, and models of disease and rejuvenation, exposing fundamental mechanisms of aging and longevity. For more detailed insights and data, check out the full pre-print 👉 https://lnkd.in/esGjEXFt

📬 The Consortium's June & July 2024 newsletter is out! In our latest edition: 🎟 2024 Biomarkers of Aging Conference: Updated Speakers, Panels and Topics 📊 Biolearn: v0.4.4 Release + How to Get Involved 🏆 Biomarkers of Aging Challenge Series: Phase I & Phase II Updates 🤝 Partnerships and Research Highlights  😃 Upcoming Events We're Excited to Attend Read it here: https://lnkd.in/eqbV8xNM To stay up to date, sign up for our monthly newsletter here 👉 https://lnkd.in/e3a2aApe

🚀 Announcing the launch of Phase 2 of the Biomarkers of Aging Challenge Series: Mortality Prediction! Phase 2 focuses on identifying and benchmarking the most promising predictors of mortality, aiming to advance our understanding and validation of aging biomarkers. This Phase will run until November 1, 2024. ☠️ Why Mortality Prediction? Mortality is a crucial outcome for aging biomarkers due to its clear and binary nature. Both first-generation biomarkers and newer models trained specifically to predict time to death have shown significant promise in predicting mortality and age-related diseases. Phase 2 benchmarks predictors of mortality to identify the current limits of accuracy and prediction, while also harnessing this potential to provide valuable insights and foster innovation in mortality prediction. 💰 Prize: $70,000 USD in rewards 👉 Join Phase 2: https://lnkd.in/eW957q8v 👈 🏆About The Biomarkers of Aging Challenge Series: Systematic benchmarking and validation of aging biomarkers are essential for their use in clinical research and longevity interventions. However, limited access to high-quality omics datasets and disparate biomarker implementations present significant challenges. The Biomarkers of Aging Consortium addresses these issues by hosting a series of challenges designed to drive innovation and collaboration. 🎯 Challenge Objectives: Our Challenge spans three phases, with the goal of identifying and benchmarking the best predictors of chronological age, mortality, and multi-morbidity. We aim to discover cutting-edge biomarkers that can reliably predict aging-related outcomes, supporting ongoing technology development and enabling large-scale longitudinal studies. 🙏 Many thanks to our partners for their support of the Challenge including: Methuselah Foundation, Alamar Biosciences, Inc., XPRIZE #Healthspan, Sage Bionetworks, Institute of Competition Sciences , VoLo Foundation 💗 We also want to thank all the fantastic competitors who have participated in our Challenge so far and those who will join us in this phase and beyond. Your dedication and innovative spirit are driving the future of longevity research. 🙌 Together, we can drive the future of biomarkers of aging, unlocking a better understanding of the aging process and making significant strides towards extending healthy human lifespan: https://lnkd.in/eW957q8v

Fostering global collaboration among academia, industry, regulators, and healthcare is key to accelerating the development of reliable biomarkers for longevity interventions 🤝 We've teamed up with Alamar Biosciences, Inc., who will support the Phase 2 (Mortality Prediction Challenge) of our Biomarkers of Aging Challenge Series with their precision proteomics platforms. "The Challenge Series aims to drive innovation in the aging biomarkers space and bring new scientists into this research arena," said Dr. Jesse Poganik. "Our hope is that challenge participants leveraging the latest omics profiling methods and novel modeling approaches will produce the next generation of aging biomarkers." The Challenge is supported by a unique, high-quality dataset specifically generated for this initiative. This dataset includes proteomic profiles using NULISAseq™ Inflammation 250 and CNS Disease 120 Panels, DNA methylation profiles, and aging outcome data from over 500 diverse individuals. Importantly, it includes longitudinal follow-up data, enabling the modeling of mortality risk, future disease incidence, and multi-morbidity occurrence. "The partnership between Alamar Biosciences and the Biomarkers of Aging Consortium underscores a shared commitment to driving innovation and collaboration in the field of aging biomarkers," said Dr. Yuling Luo, Founder, Chairman & CEO of Alamar. "By leveraging Alamar's high-sensitivity proteomics technologies and the Consortium's extensive expertise and resources, the Challenge seeks to accelerate progress in this critical area." Read the full press release here: https://lnkd.in/e5hZMM5B

2024 Biomarkers of Aging Conference: Updated Speaker & Panelist Roster and More! With only a few days remaining until our Early Bird Ticket and Poster-Abstract Submission deadline on Monday, July 1st, we are excited to announce our updated roster of speakers and panelists for our 2024 Conference at Harvard Medical School from November 1-2. We are excited to welcome you to celebrate another year of collaboration and progress towards developing validated biomarkers of aging for longevity interventions: Omar Abudayyeh, Jason Buenrostro, George Church, David Furman, L. Ferrucci of National Institute on Aging (NIA), Vadim Gladyshev, Jonathan Gootenberg, Sara Hägg, Steve Horvath, Jamie Justice, Ph.D., Andrea B. Maier, Riccardo Marioni, Mahdi Moqri, Jesse Poganik, Björn Schumacher, Vittorio Sebastiano, David A. Sinclair A.O., Ph.D., Michael Snyder, Eric Verdin, Tony Wyss-Coray and many more! Our agenda is also shaping up for an insightful and engaging event over the two days. Details below. Friday, Nov 1: Cutting-Edge Academic Science of Biomarkers of Aging - Talks, Panels, Poster Sessions and Flash Talks covering omics and multi-omics biomarkers, molecular, digital/imaging, and physiological biomarkers, systemic aging and tissue/organ-specific biomarkers, longitudinal biomarkers, validation, and benchmarking - Light breakfast, lunch, and refreshments Saturday, Nov 2: Translational, Clinical and Regulatory Aspects of Biomarkers of Aging - Talks, panels, poster sessions and flash talks covering longevity biotech and aging biomarkers, biomarker standardization, qualifications, and regulation, biomarkers-guided gerotherapeutics, clinical biomarkers and outcomes, the role of open innovation, including XPRIZE Healthspan and Biomarkers of Aging Challenge with presentations by winning teams - Light breakfast, lunch, and refreshments Remember 👇 🎟️ Secure your Early Bird Tickets (and save 33%) by July 1st: https://lnkd.in/e7QByEcx 📊 Submit your poster abstract by July 1st: https://lnkd.in/eXzJn_xf We look forward to seeing you in Boston!

Happy Friday everyone and great news! Due to the overwhelming interest in presenting at our 2024 Conference, the submission deadline for our poster presentation sessions has been extended to July 1st. We recognize that many scientists have been busy traveling to conferences, applying for grants, and managing your research and teams. Therefore, we want to ensure that everyone who hasn't yet had a chance has the opportunity to submit their applications. You can submit here: https://lnkd.in/eXzJn_xf As a kind reminder 👇 🆓 Accepted presenters can attend the Conference for free on both Day 1 and Day 2. 🔝 Top submissions will be selected to present their work in a 10-minute short talk. Presenters will also have the opportunity to give a 1-minute flash talk and share their work in front of an audience of top researchers in the field of biomarkers of aging and geroscience. 💰 Our jury of experts will also select a poster prize winner, who will receive a cash prize. And plenty more opportunities to develop your scientific research, collaborations, network and career.

Happy Friday everyone and great news! Due to the overwhelming interest in presenting at our 2024 Conference, the submission deadline for our poster presentation sessions has been extended to July 1st. We recognize that many scientists have been busy traveling to conferences, applying for grants, and managing your research and teams. Therefore, we want to ensure that everyone who hasn't yet had a chance has the opportunity to submit their applications. You can submit here: https://lnkd.in/eXzJn_xf As a kind reminder 👇 🆓 Accepted presenters can attend the Conference for free on both Day 1 and Day 2. 🔝 Top submissions will be selected to present their work in a 10-minute short talk. Presenters will also have the opportunity to give a 1-minute flash talk and share their work in front of an audience of top researchers in the field of biomarkers of aging and geroscience. 💰 Our jury of experts will also select a poster prize winner, who will receive a cash prize. And plenty more opportunities to develop your scientific research, collaborations, network and career.

🆕 📄 Co-authored by several Consortium members and contributors and leveraging our open-source biomarkers of aging analysis tooling Biolearn, "multi-omic aging genes" were identified as potential biomarkers of aging and targets for epigenetic editing to facilitate cellular rejuvenation. 📊 By integrating data from several large cohorts, 106 multi-omic aging genes that consistently exhibit age-related changes in both methylation and gene expression were identified. These genes are enriched for adaptive immune functions, key for understanding aging. Validation using an independent dataset from the Mass General Brigham Biobank confirmed that these multi-omic aging genes are significantly associated with aging outcomes, including mortality risk. This underscores their potential as targets for therapeutic interventions. 🎯 The integration of multi-omic data allows for a more detailed and functional understanding of age-related molecular changes. This approach may pave the way for the development of effective biomarkers of aging and eventual interventions for aging and age-related diseases. Read the pre-print to dive further into our most recent collaboration and findings 👉 https://lnkd.in/gUC5kwir Learn more about Biolearn, our open-source software enabling quick and easy computation and analysis of biomarkers of aging data 👉 https://lnkd.in/eSpKXGR2 🙏 Thanks to Hevolution Foundation, National Institute on Aging (NIA), Mass General Brigham for their support. Shout-out to co-authors Mahdi Moqri, Jesse Poganik, Chiara Herzog, Kejun Ying, Ludger Goeminne, Michael Snyder, Vadim Gladyshev, Jessica Lasky-Su, et al. for their excellent work.