Clinical Epigenetics (Sep 2023)

Evaluation of pediatric epigenetic clocks across multiple tissues

  • Fang Fang,
  • Linran Zhou,
  • Wei Perng,
  • Carmen J. Marsit,
  • Anna K. Knight,
  • Andres Cardenas,
  • Max T. Aung,
  • Marie-France Hivert,
  • Izzuddin M. Aris,
  • Jaclyn M. Goodrich,
  • Alicia K. Smith,
  • Abigail Gaylord,
  • Rebecca C. Fry,
  • Emily Oken,
  • George O’Connor,
  • Douglas M. Ruden,
  • Leonardo Trasande,
  • Julie B. Herbstman,
  • Carlos A. Camargo,
  • Nicole R. Bush,
  • Anne L. Dunlop,
  • Dana M. Dabelea,
  • Margaret R. Karagas,
  • Carrie V. Breton,
  • Carole Ober,
  • Todd M. Everson,
  • Grier P. Page,
  • Christine Ladd-Acosta,
  • on behalf of program collaborators for Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13148-023-01552-3
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 15, no. 1
pp. 1 – 14

Abstract

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Abstract Background Epigenetic clocks are promising tools for assessing biological age. We assessed the accuracy of pediatric epigenetic clocks in gestational and chronological age determination. Results Our study used data from seven tissue types on three DNA methylation profiling microarrays and found that the Knight and Bohlin clocks performed similarly for blood cells, while the Lee clock was superior for placental samples. The pediatric-buccal-epigenetic clock performed the best for pediatric buccal samples, while the Horvath clock is recommended for children's blood cell samples. The NeoAge clock stands out for its unique ability to predict post-menstrual age with high correlation with the observed age in infant buccal cell samples. Conclusions Our findings provide valuable guidance for future research and development of epigenetic clocks in pediatric samples, enabling more accurate assessments of biological age.

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