Key points from article :
Traditional epigenetic clocks, biochemical tests measure the levels of DNA methylation in bulk tissue samples.
Using bulk samples obscures the differences across individual cells.
Researchers developed a technique known as scAge, a statistical program capable of capturing epigenetic age at a single-cell resolution.
Elucidated the aging process in murine hepatocytes, attenuation of epigenetic aging in muscle cells, and early embryogenesis-related rejuvenation in embryonic stem cells.
Research on biological aging, at the previously elusive level of the individual cell, is now a possibility.
"May have clinical applications for mammalian, somatic, germline, and cancer cells within heterogeneous tissues," - Vadim Gladyshev, senior author.
"...found an exciting application at the interface of aging, rejuvenation, and emerging single-cell technologies."
Study by Brigham and Women’s Hospital published in Nature Aging.
