The article, Could a Cheek Swab Predict When You Might Die, jumps right into a new test called a CheekAge and how this test can, someday, accurately predict how long someone has to live, as well as analyze mortality rates for an individual. CheekAge test tracks epigenetics via simply swabbing cells within the mouth. Epigenetics tracks how a person's environment or lifestyle can alter how genes function throughout their lifespan. Typically, when researchers observe epigenetics, they follow a key tracker: DNA methylation. DNA methylation is a phenomenon where, without changing the essential composition of the gene, but the gene's ability to function/ gene activity is a result of molecular alteration or shifts in the DNA segments. The CheekAge takes advantage of DNA methylation by analyzing specific DNA methylation patterns from cells inside the mouth collected via a swab. CheekAge almost acts as an "epigenetic clock," subsequently examining and comparing results from the test to basic methylation patterns associated with life span "mile markers."
Dr. Maxim Shokhirev and his team of colleagues conducted a study that involved participants who underwent testing once every three years for DNA methylation via blood cell analysis-- roughly 450,000 different methylation sites on each of their genomes were taken and observed. These same participants underwent the CheekAge test, and the results were examined and compared. Dr. Shokhirev and colleagues concluded that CheekAge is accurately and significantly associated with mortality, this was concluded through extensive and longstanding datasets. Dr. Shokhirev and his team observed specific methylation sites that seemed pivotal in determining when one might die. One gene site possibly linked to suppressing cancer is PDZRN4 and ALPK2, a gene linked to heart health and cancer development. Other methylation sites have been connected to other health diseases and syndromes, such as inflammation, metabolic syndromes, and even osteoporosis. These genes can be analyzed to see if they significantly impact the lifespan of an individual.
Currently, blood-based epigenetic testing is the preferred method. However, the CheekAge could be a cheaper, faster, more convenient, and a valuable alternative to analysis of tracking the biology of aging, as it uses a simple, noninvasive cheek swab rather than a blood sample being drawn from a patient.
I found this article interesting because the idea of using a cheek swab to date and potentially predict mortality is foreign yet so interesting, which is why it sparked my curiosity. Regardless, future studies still need to be conducted to identify and clarify other health-related relations that can be linked to CheekAge. However, I believe CheekAge can be used as a means of reducing some healthcare costs [a very prevalent and pervasive crisis in this day and age] since CheekAge is a simpler, cheaper, and faster method of epigenetic testing, making healthcare more widely accessible and available to people. Potentially, being able to use CheekAge to determine the frequency of age-related diseases, duration of health spans, and better predict risk rates for individuals diagnosed with life-threatening diseases could remarkably change the healthcare system for the better!
