Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Research Briefing
  • Published:

A blood DNA methylation test reveals how quickly each organ system is aging

We developed a single blood-based methylation test that estimates biological aging across 11 physiological systems. This multisystem measure predicts mortality and health outcomes more precisely than existing epigenetic clocks, and reveals distinct aging patterns that could guide personalized gerotherapeutic and geroprotective interventions.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Hierarchy of heterogeneity in aging.

References

  1. Ahadi, S. et al. Personal aging markers and ageotypes revealed by deep longitudinal profiling. Nat. Med. 26, 83–90 (2020). A paper showing that physiological systems do not age in unison.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Splansky, G. L. et al. The Third Generation Cohort of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s Framingham Heart Study: design, recruitment, and initial examination. Am. J. Epidemiol. 165, 1328–1335 (2007). A paper reporting the details of the FHS cohort.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. The Women’s Health Initiative Study Group. Design of the Women’s Health Initiative clinical trial and observational study. Control. Clin. Trials 19, 61–109 (1998). A paper reporting the details of the WHI cohort.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Vasanthakumar, A. et al. Harnessing peripheral DNA methylation differences in the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) to reveal novel biomarkers of disease. Clin. Epigenetics 12, 84 (2020). A paper reporting the details of the ADNI cohort.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Sehgal, R. et al. DNAm aging biomarkers are responsive: insights from 51 longevity interventional studies in humans. Preprint at bioRxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.10.22.619522 (2024). A preprint showing that Systems Age clocks respond to geroprotective interventions.

Download references

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

This is a summary of: Sehgal, R. et al. Systems Age: a single blood methylation test to quantify aging heterogeneity across 11 physiological systems. Nat. Aging https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-025-00958-3 (2025).

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

A blood DNA methylation test reveals how quickly each organ system is aging. Nat Aging 5, 1665–1666 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-025-00959-2

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-025-00959-2

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing