Biomarkers of Aging and Cognitive Function

A team of Stanford researchers have identified a panel of intercellular signaling protein biomarkers that form an aging signature in healthy individuals. One marker, the chemokine CCL11, is specifically correlated with reduced neurogenesis and impaired learning and memory. The panel of proteins could be used to determine an individual's physiological or biological age (rather than the chronological age) by a simple blood draw. In addition, this approach could enable early detection and monitoring of age-related disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, stroke, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Finally, the functional study of age-related markers that are changed due to a disease may be helpful in the development of new drug targets and treatments.

Stage of Research
The inventors have:
--> identified a panel of 10 human proteins that are robust predictors for modeling age;
--> demonstrated that the “old” systemic environment decreases synaptic plasticity and impairs contextual fear condition and spatial learning and memory in young mice; and
--> performed mouse studies to show CCL11's effects on neurogenesis, learning and memory