NSF-SNSF: An AGE clock for RESIlience in SweaT- AGE RESIST

Aging is characterized by the progressive loss of physiological integrity, leading to impaired function and increased vulnerability to death. This vulnerability is further compounded by the loss of resilience and stress resistance. Despite the development of various biomarkers and tests, such as the pan-mammalian epigenetic clock, the inflammatory aging clock (iAge), and the timed walking test, these tools are often limited in scope, labor-intensive, and reliant on specialized laboratories.

There is a pressing need for a diagnostic tool that can integrate multiple biomarker types, offering continuous, real-life assessments of aging in a more accessible and convenient manner.

Sweat, an easily collectable body fluid from the skin surface, contains rich physiological and molecular information. This project aims to leverage the emerging potential of personalized healthcare to revolutionize traditional medical practices through the development of a wearable sweat-sensing platform capable of non-invasive, continuous, and laboratory-independent assessment of biological age and resilience.

The AGE RESIST project brings together an interdisciplinary consortium of renowned researchers from leading academic institutions to achieve the following objectives. (1) Exploration of Novel Biomarkers: Identify and explore novel sweat-based molecular biomarkers associated with heat strain and aging, to construct a comprehensive age clock of resilience using advanced machine learning algorithms. (2) Validation of Biomarkers: Prospectively validate the identified biomarkers through clinical studies to ensure their reliability and accuracy. (3) Wearable Platform Development: Integrate the validated biomarkers into a state-of-the-art wearable sweat-analyzing platform that enables real-time, non-invasive monitoring of biological age and resilience.

This collaborative U.S.-Swiss project is supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), where NSF funds the U.S. investigator and SNSF funds the partners in Switzerland.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.