#34 Biomarkers of aging: How close are we, really? - A conversation with Sara Hägg

28/10/2025 1h 36min Episodio 34
#34 Biomarkers of aging: How close are we, really? - A conversation with Sara Hägg

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Episode Synopsis

Sara Hägg, PhD is an associate professor at Karolinska Institutet, where she leads the Molecular Epidemiology of Aging Group. Her work focuses on human biomarkers of aging - especially biological age “clocks” built from epigenetic, proteomic, and metabolomic data - and on turning Nordic registry resources into clinically useful aging measures.In this episode:* What biological/epigenetic age clocks actually measure (and what they don’t)* Accuracy, error bars, and why clocks aren’t clinic-ready yet* Epigenetic vs. proteomic vs. metabolomic clocks - strengths and trade-offs* Organ-specific clocks (liver, ovary, kidney) and what they reveal* Why uncertainty spikes at life transitions; menopause as a natural “stress test”* PC (principal-component) clocks and noise reduction* Nordic registry & Swedish Twin Registry advantages; UK Biobank use* Direct-to-consumer tests: interpreting results and common pitfalls* AI’s role in building/validating clocks and handling uncertainty* What would move the field fastest (data, standards, trials) and where Sweden standsShow notes for this episode will be available after this airs. Sign up for the LEVITY newsletter to get them straight to your inbox: reachlevity.comLEVITY is co-hosted by Patrick Linden, philosopher and author, and Peter Ottsjö, journalist and author.CHAPTERS00:00 Introduction03:27 Why Sweden lags behind in longevity science08:04 Nordic registry & Swedish twin registry advantages; UK Biobank use10:05 What is biological age?16:33 The rise of epigenetic clocks24:22 The importance of aging clocks32:04 Beyond methylation: proteomic and metabolomic clocks35:12 Organ clocks39:37 Do aging clocks generalize?54:37 The cost of aging clocks01:03:18 Uncertainty and AI01:17:10 Solving aging - where do we stand?01:28:10 Book recommendations🗞️ SUBSCRIBE to the LEVITY newsletter: reachlevity.com/subscribeGet all LEVITY DeSci content here: reachlevity.com/t/desci (sorry about the wrong link in the episode)📕 Check out Patrick's book: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262543163/the-case-against-death/📗 Check out Peter's book (only available in Swedish): https://www.adlibris.com/sv/bok/evigt-ung-min-och-manniskans-drom-om-ododligheten-9789179652524-----Show notes for this episode will be available soon after this airs. Sign up for the LEVITY newsletter to get them straight to your inbox: reachlevity.com/subscribeLEVITY is co-hosted by Patrick Linden, philosopher and author, and Peter Ottsjö, journalist and author. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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