Reading the Signs of Time: Blood Analysis Reveals Organ Aging and Predicts Disease Risks
In a new paper just published in Nature, animal studies reveal that aging varies both between individuals and within an individual’s organs, but its effects on humans and age-related diseases are not well understood.
– This study utilized levels of human blood plasma proteins from specific organs to measure organ-specific aging differences in living individuals.
– Machine learning models analyzed aging in 11 major organs and estimated organ age in five independent cohorts, totaling 5,676 adults across various ages.
– Findings show that nearly 20% of the population experiences accelerated aging in one organ, and 1.7% are aging faster in multiple organs.
– Accelerated organ aging is linked to a 20–50% higher mortality risk, with organ-specific diseases correlating to faster aging of those organs.
– Individuals with accelerated heart aging face a 250% increased risk of heart failure; accelerated brain and vascular aging are strong predictors of Alzheimer’s disease progression.
– The study connects vascular calcification, extracellular matrix changes, and synaptic protein shedding with early cognitive decline.
– A new method using plasma proteomics data is introduced for studying organ aging, offering predictions for diseases and aging effects.
– The study underscores the need for a molecular understanding of human organ aging to address the global disease burden and potentially revolutionize healthcare and drug development.
– Unlike other methods, this approach offers a minimally invasive, molecularly insightful way to assess and track human organ aging.
Stay updated as Targeting Ageing 2025 Congress will cover these new innovative methods paving the way to new and better assessment of aging.
Original Study: Oh, H.SH., Rutledge, J., Nachun, D. et al. Organ aging signatures in the plasma proteome track health and disease. Nature 624, 164–172 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06802-1.