Centenarian clocks: epigenetic clocks for validating claims of exceptional longevity.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Observational biomarker development and cross-sectional association study
PubMed 36964402 · doi:10.1007/s11357-023-00731-7
What was done
Researchers developed three DNA methylation-based age estimators (epigenetic clocks) designed to verify age claims in centenarians. Models were developed using n = 7039 blood and saliva samples from individuals older than 40 years. The cohort included 184 centenarians, 122 semi-supercentenarians (aged 105+), and 25 supercentenarians (aged 110+; maximum age 115 years). The authors trained a neural network model, conducted an epigenome-wide association study across different age groups, and evaluated chromatin state age effects in centenarians.
What was found
The most accurate clock was generated using a neural network trained on individuals older than 40. Epigenome-wide age effects in young individuals (age < 40) were correlated with age effects in old individuals (age > 90) at r = 0.55. Specific numerical accuracy or error metrics for age estimation were not reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
Claims of extreme human longevity are frequently disputed or lack documentation. These epigenetic clocks offer an objective biological tool for evaluating age verification in very old individuals.
Limits
The abstract does not provide numerical accuracy metrics, error margins, or validation statistics for the clocks. The sample of supercentenarians was relatively small (n = 25), and findings are based cross-sectionally on blood and saliva without reported longitudinal validation.
Cited by
- supports The Horvath pan-tissue epigenetic clock measures age across all tissues and cells containing DNA, from prenatal samples to supercentenarians over 110 years old.