Ageing is a major risk factor for many diseases, yet accurately measuring how quickly cells age has remained a challenge. Researchers have now developed Pasta, a freely available tool that estimates a cell’s biological age by analysing patterns of gene activity.

The researchers developed the tool using gene expression data from more than 17,000 healthy human tissue samples and tested it across multiple independent datasets. Unlike previous methods, Pasta can be applied across different tissues, cell types and laboratory techniques.

The study found that biologically older cells showed greater activity in genes associated with DNA damage and cellular stress, while the tool could also distinguish senescent cells from more youthful, stem cell-like cells.

Researchers further used Pasta to analyse more than three million gene profiles involving drug treatments and genetic modifications. The analysis identified potential substances and biological pathways that may either accelerate or reduce cellular ageing, with some findings confirmed in experiments on human cells.

Overall, Pasta could provide a widely accessible way to study biological ageing and support the discovery of genes and compounds that influence the ageing process.

Source: https://www.newswise.com/articles/new-tool-measures-the-biological-age-of-cells