Epigenetic Clocks and Biomarkers of Aging

Understanding the mechanisms that drive human aging is one of the great scientific challenges of our time. Traditional measures of aging based solely on chronological years often fail to capture the immense variability in how individuals age biologically, both at the cellular and whole-organism level. In recent years, epigenetic clocks—particularly those based on DNA methylation patterns—have emerged as revolutionary tools, enabling researchers to more precisely estimate biological age and unravel the molecular pathways of aging. These clocks, together with other molecular and omics-derived biomarkers, are transforming the landscape of aging research, offering new insights into age-related disease risk, the efficacy of interventions, and the biology of longevity.

This research topic seeks to bring together cutting-edge studies and authoritative reviews in the field of biological aging, with a particular emphasis on the development, validation, and translation of epigenetic clocks and related biomarkers. We welcome high-quality submissions that:

1. Develop and refine novel epigenetic clocks, especially those applicable across diverse ethnicities and tissue types
2. Examine the interplay between epigenetic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic biomarkers of aging
3. Investigate the mechanisms underlying biomarker evolution and their relationships to age-associated disease and functional decline
4. Explore applications of aging biomarkers in clinical trials and real-world health settings
5. Address the ethical, clinical, and public health implications of predicting biological age
6. Studies utilizing innovative computational, multi-omics, and systems biology approaches—especially those that push the field toward translational applications—are particularly encouraged.

By uniting the most exciting new work in this rapidly evolving field, this topic aims to establish a comprehensive resource for researchers, foster cross-disciplinary collaboration, and accelerate the translation of aging biomarkers into practice.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Epigenetic Clocks, Biological Age, DNA Methylation, Aging Biomarkers, Multi-omics

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.