A proteomic signature of healthspan
Abstract
The focus of aging research has shifted from increasing lifespan to enhancing healthspan to reduce the time spent living with disability. Despite significant efforts to develop biomarkers of aging, few studies have focused on biomarkers of healthspan. We developed a proteomics-based signature of healthspan [healthspan proteomic score (HPS)] using proteomic data from the Olink Explore 3072 assay in the UK Biobank Pharma Proteomics Project (53,018 individuals and 2,920 proteins). A lower HPS was associated with higher mortality risk and several age-related conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, heart failure, cancer, myocardial infarction, dementia, and stroke. HPS showed superior predictive accuracy for these outcomes compared to other biological age measures. Proteins associated with HPS were enriched in hallmark pathways such as immune response, inflammation, cellular signaling, and metabolic regulation. The external validity was evaluated using the Essential Hypertension Epigenetics study with proteomic data also from the Olink Explore 3072 and complementary epigenetic data, making it a valuable tool for assessing healthspan and as a potential surrogate marker to complement existing proteomic and epigenetic biological age measures in geroscience-guided studies.
Article Details
Journal Info
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Sciences
Authors (12)
Chia-Ling Kuo
Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Connecticut Health Center
Peiran Liu
Biostatistics Center, The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering, University of Connecticut Health Center
Gabin Drouard
Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki
Eero Vuoksimaa
Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki
Jaakko Kaprio
Miina Ollikainen
Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki
Zhiduo Chen
University of Connecticut Center on Aging, University of Connecticut Health Center
Luke C. Pilling
Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Exeter
Janice L. Atkins
Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Exeter
Richard H. Fortinsky
University of Connecticut Center on Aging, University of Connecticut Health Center
George A. Kuchel
University of Connecticut Center on Aging, University of Connecticut Health Center
Breno S. Diniz
Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Connecticut Health Center