Measuring Single-Cell Aging with an Imaging-based Biomarker of Chromatin and Epigenetic Aging

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Aging Research
• Epigenetics

Background:

• Biomarkers for biological age are essential for personalized healthcare and evaluating rejuvenation strategies.
• Current methods may not fully capture intrinsic age-related cellular changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• Introduce and validate imaging-based chromatin and epigenetic age (ImAge) as a novel biomarker.
• Provide a comprehensive protocol for ImAge extraction and validation.

Main Methods:

• Developed ImAge using spatial organization of chromatin and epigenetic marks in single nuclei.
• Utilized wet laboratory procedures for sample preparation and imaging.
• Employed an open-sourced computational pipeline for data processing.

Main Results:

• ImAge effectively quantifies age-related changes and intervention effects.
• Demonstrated significant ImAge decrease after rejuvenation (caloric restriction, partial reprogramming) and increase after chemotherapy.
• Correlated lower ImAge with improved locomotor activity, indicating functional relevance.

Conclusions:

• ImAge is a sensitive, single-cell biomarker for assessing biological age and longevity interventions.
• The provided protocol facilitates ImAge extraction and validation for broader application.
• ImAge holds promise for advancing personalized healthcare and aging research.