Buccal clocks did not outperform blood clocks in buccal samples and were not sensitive to SES. We provided explanations and suggestions. That said, oral DNAm samples (buccal/saliva) have great potential given their performance and non-invasive nature.

Buccal PedBE and CheekAge are linked to self-reported morbidity and overall health, similarly to blood clocks. Notably, PedBE acceleration, which was developed in children, outperformed all other clocks when predicting chronic diseases (excluding cancer).

Very high correlations between buccal-derived clocks and chronological age have been observed among Germans of all ages. Their performances are comparable to blood clocks.

(w/ Marta Bosanac, Maxim Shokhirev, @laraffington.bsky.social)

Very grateful for the support from USC-UCLA Center on Biodemography and Population Health @uscleonarddavis.bsky.social and @mpib-berlin.bsky.social

Population-level survey data with multi-omic biomarkers are powerful sources for translational research and for understanding how social-behavioral factors get under the skin and affect health and aging.

Key aspects of cellular senescence are measured: cell cycle arrest (CSP), macromolecular damage (SIP), and senescence-associated secretory phenotype - SASP (SRP). Overall measures include the average of the three pathways above and the expression level of SenMayo genes.

Senescence scores are associated with accelerated epigenetic aging, physiological dysregulation, multimorbidity, cognitive decline, and 6-year mortality. These associations persist after adjustment for epigenetic clocks.