Raphael Thys
Alamar Bio joins forces with Biomarkers of Aging Consortium on proteomics datasets for the latest phase of longevity research competition.
The latest phase of the Biomarkers of Aging Challenge Series has launched, seeking to benchmark and identify the most promising predictors of mortality. Series organizer, the Biomarkers of Aging Consortium, also announced a partnership with Alamar Biosciences, which will see proteomic datasets generated by Alamar used in the Mortality Prediction Challenge.
The Biomarkers of Aging Challenge Series aims to foster innovation in developing next-generation biomarkers that can predict aging-related outcomes. The series seeks to enhance large-scale profiling and reduce costs associated with biomarker development and validation, addressing the critical need for reliable biomarkers of biological age in the longevity field.
The challenge series is structured in three phases, focusing on systematic benchmarking and validation of aging biomarkers predicting chronological age, mortality and multi-morbidity. The first phase, now closed, focused on predicting chronological age.
The second phase, beginning now, centers on mortality prediction, a key outcome in aging biomarker research due to its clear, binary nature. While some biomarkers and models trained to predict time to death have proven effective in predicting mortality and age-related diseases, the goal is to benchmark and identify the most promising mortality predictors. The winners will be announced at the 2024 Biomarkers of Aging Conference in Boston, MA, in November.
The final phase of the challenge series, starting in the first quarter of 2025, will address multi-morbidity prediction.
“The Challenge Series aims to drive innovation in the aging biomarkers space and bring new scientists into this research arena,” said Dr Jesse Poganik of the Biomarkers of Aging Consortium. “Our hope is that challenge participants leveraging the latest omics profiling methods and novel modeling approaches will produce the next generation of aging biomarkers.”
All the challenges in the series are supported by unique datasets created specifically for the initiative. For the Mortality Prediction Challenge, the dataset includes proteomic profiles using Alamar’s NULISAseq Multiplex Panels, DNA methylation profiles, and aging outcome data from over 500 diverse individuals. The dataset, which includes longitudinal follow-up data, enables the modeling of mortality risk, future disease incidence, and multi-morbidity occurrence.
Alamar claims its precision proteomics technologies, combined with the latest advances in genomics, achieve levels of sensitivity that surpass the most sensitive protein detection technologies currently available.
“The partnership between Alamar Biosciences and the Biomarkers of Aging Consortium underscores a shared commitment to driving innovation and collaboration in the field of aging biomarkers,” said Dr Yuling Luo, CEO of Alamar. “By leveraging Alamar’s high-sensitivity proteomics technologies and the Consortium’s extensive expertise and resources, the Challenge seeks to accelerate progress in this critical area.”