Russian scientists are developing a PCR test to assess biological age

Russian scientists are working on a PCR test that evaluates aging by 15 genes and can help ensure healthy longevity, said the director of the Institute of Biology of Aging and Medicine of Healthy Longevity of the Russian Scientific Center for Chemistry. Academician B.V. Petrovsky, Corresponding Member of the RAS Alexey Moskalev.

The test analyzes the activity of genes associated with 15 basic mechanisms of aging, based on RNA molecules from venous blood cells.

Models of aging must take into account gender, as aging trajectories differ between men and women and men due to sex chromosomes, hormonal regulation, and other factors.

“The PCR test being developed for RNA molecules from venous blood cells will allow us to evaluate the activity of genes associated with 15 basic mechanisms of aging, and in the future may become the basis for personal selection of healthy longevity programs,” Moskalev told Gazeta.Ru.

According to him, in the current test design, a pair of genes with age-dependent expression dynamics was selected for each mechanism. We are talking about DNA repair, telomere maintenance, epigenetic regulation, proteostasis, autophagy, energy metabolism, cellular aging and other processes, the expert explained.