Some parts of your body age faster than others, Israeli study finds

The common assumption that all parts of the body age at the same pace is being challenged by new research from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI). The study reveals that while a person's chronological age is a single number, individual cells within the body can be biologically much older or younger than others. This uneven aging process may offer crucial insights into why aging and age-related diseases develop.

Professor Howard Cedar, a renowned biochemist who led the research team, stated that this new understanding of aging's unevenness at the cellular level positions scientists to better address related health issues. The team, including Professor Tommy Kaplan and Dr. Hagit Masika, identified a molecular "aging signature" that pinpoints cells aging prematurely. This discovery could pave the way for developing therapies aimed at slowing down the aging process itself, rather than solely focusing on diseases like cancer or Alzheimer's.

The study, published in Nature Communications, delves into the fundamental biochemical process of DNA methylation. This process involves adding a chemical tag to DNA, which acts like a dimmer switch, controlling gene activity without altering the genetic code. Researchers have long understood that DNA methylation plays a key role in regulating gene expression, with different tissues utilizing specific subsets of genes necessary for their function. The HUJI team's work builds on this by explaining how methylation patterns are established and modified, thereby controlling gene activity during development.

By examining cell-to-cell variability in DNA methylation, the researchers found that aging is not a uniform process. This finding offers a new perspective on aging, suggesting that interventions could target the underlying cellular aging mechanisms. The potential to develop drugs that slow aging itself, rather than just managing its consequences, marks a significant shift in the approach to age-related health.

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The achievement shows that the way people think about aging is wrong. With our new understanding about cancer – that aging is surprisingly uneven from one cell to the next – we will be in a much better position to do something about it.