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New Blood-Based Epigenetic Clock Revolutionizes Aging Research by Targeting Intrinsic Capacity
- The Intrinsic Capacity (IC) Clock, a novel blood-based epigenetic clock, revolutionizes aging research by focusing on overall functional capacity involved in the aging process.
- Unlike conventional clocks, the IC Clock measures intrinsic capacity, encompassing critical domains like mobility, cognition, mental health, vision, hearing, and nutrition/vitality.
- It reflects how well an individual ages functionally, promising personalized medicine and public health advancements.
- Developed by experts at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, the IC Clock utilizes DNA methylation patterns to predict functional aging.
- It outperforms previous aging clocks in predicting all-cause mortality and correlates with enhanced immune function and favorable lifestyle factors.
- Efforts are underway to adapt the IC Clock for dried blood spot (DBS) assays, enabling broader deployment in low- and middle-income countries.
- Despite WHO recognition, regulatory acceptance of intrinsic capacity decline remains a challenge, hindering clinical translation efforts.
- The IC Clock's integration into the XPRIZE Healthspan competition aims to extend human healthspan and validate precision aging medicine.
- This transformative research underscores the importance of longitudinal studies in unraveling the complexities of aging biology.
- Overall, the IC Clock offers a biologically grounded, scalable tool for assessing intrinsic capacity and holds promise for managing aging proactively on a global scale.
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