The X-Age Project to construct a Chinese aging clock

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Biomarker Discovery
• Population Health

Background:

• Global population is aging rapidly, particularly in China, increasing the burden of age-related diseases on healthcare systems.
• The Aging Biomarker Consortium (ABC) initiated the X-Age Project to address the unique challenges of aging in the Chinese population.
• Understanding biological age is crucial for managing age-related health issues and developing targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a comprehensive aging evaluation system for the Chinese population.
• To identify robust biomarkers of aging and construct composite aging clocks.
• To capture and analyze biological age across diverse Chinese cohorts.

Main Methods:

• Recruitment of diverse Chinese cohorts.
• Standardized collection of biological samples.
• Multimodal data acquisition including omics and clinical data.
• Development of machine learning-based aging clock models.

Main Results:

• The project aims to identify key aging biomarkers.
• Development of validated composite aging clocks tailored to the Chinese population.
• Establishment of a platform for assessing biological age and its heterogeneity.

Conclusions:

• The X-Age Project will provide a scalable platform for understanding aging in China.
• It will facilitate early detection of accelerated aging and evaluation of interventions.
• This research is vital for adapting healthcare strategies to an aging population.