Research Spotlight: Addressing challenges to clinical translation of biomarkers of aging tools

How would you summarize your study for a lay audience? 

Biomarkers of aging are an emerging class of tools that allow for quantitative assessment of biological age and the impact of interventions targeting the aging process. These tools are proving to be transformative in the lab and in preclinical studies, but their use in the clinical setting remains limited. In this publication, we report the results of a survey we conducted with a group of experts working on biomarkers of aging to identify current challenges to clinical translation. Using the responses to the survey, we formulated recommendations to overcome these challenges.

What knowledge gaps does your study help to fill? 

The field currently lacks a clear roadmap for clinical translation of biomarkers of aging. We synthesized 34 expert opinions to identify six key challenges to clinical translation. Our work provides key insights into the issues surrounding these barriers and recommendations to overcome them. 

How did you conduct your study? 

At the first Biomarkers of Aging Symposium at the Buck Institute, we distributed a survey to speakers and panelists who attended the conference. Responses were collected electronically or through a guided discussion. Our team analyzed the responses and found that six common barriers to clinical translation emerged: 

1. Data sharing 
2. Prioritization of criteria for aging biomarkers 
3. Appropriate age ranges for biomarkers of aging 
4. Minimal clinical criteria 
5. Positioning biomarkers of aging in current healthcare systems 
6. Linking biomarkers of aging results to actionable insights 

For each of the challenges identified through the survey, we worked with our expert panel to formulate recommendations. Our hope is that the scientific community will use this study as guidance to take the steps necessary to overcome the existing barriers.  

What are the implications? 

The overarching goal of the Biomarkers of Aging Consortium is to position biomarkers of aging as useful clinical tools that will allow for optimization and possibly extension of a healthy lifespan. The recommendations we developed can help advance clinical integration of these tools.  

What are the next steps? 

We plan to discuss the results of our study and continue the conversation at our next Biomarkers of Aging Conference, which will be held in Boston, Massachusetts in November 2024. 

Authorship: In addition to Poganik, BWH authors include Ludger J.E. Goeminne, Jessica Lasky-Su, Mahdi Moqri, and Vadim N. Gladyshev. Additional authors include Chiara Herzog, Nir Barzilai, Daniel W. Belsky, Joe Betts-LaCroix, Brain H. Chen, Michelle Chen, Alan A. Cohen, Steven Cummings, Peter O. Fedichev, Luigi Ferrucci, Alexander Fleming, Kristen Fortney, David Furman, Vera Gorbunova, Albert Higgins-Chen, Lee Hood, Steve Horvath, Jamie N. Justice, Douglas Kiel, George Kuchel, Nathan LeBrasseur, Andrea B. Maier, Birgit Schilling, Vittorio Sebastiano, P. Eline Slagboom, Michael P. Snyder, Eric Verdin, Martin Widschwendter, Alex Zhavoronkov and the Biomarkers of Aging Consortium. 

Disclosures: Mahdi Moqri, Vittorio Sebastiano, Michael P. Snyder, and Vadim N. Gladyshev have filed a patent on measuring cellular aging.  

Paper cited: Biomarkers of Aging Consortium et al. “Challenges and Recommendations for the Translation of Biomarkers of Aging.” Nature Aging DOI: 10.1038/s43587-024-00683-3