There is a theory that shortening of telomeres (the end portions of chromosomes that protect it from damage and “sticking” with other chromosomes) is associated with aging. It has been proven that telomeres “measure” how many times a cell can divide further. However, the director of the Institute for the Study of Aging at the Russian National Research Medical University says telomeres cannot act as a biomarker of aging. Pirogov Alexey Churov of the NI Russian Ministry of Health.
“This marker turned out to be very difficult to use in the clinic because of its high variability. One and the same person may have one result today and another tomorrow. Therefore, this marker alone cannot be used strictly in clinical practice – you have to look for marker panels, ”Churov explained.
According to the expert, no one in the world has yet found such a biomarker and has not developed a panel of biomarkers that will determine a person’s biological age with absolute accuracy.
“Large-scale longitudinal studies that allow tracking of biomarkers throughout a person’s lifetime are needed. We need to access a large number of biomaterials and accurate clinical descriptions of such samples from people of different ages. Our institute has such a resource,” said Churov.
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