The research demonstrates that InflammAge can effectively assess biological ageing, offering a reliable alternative to traditional blood-based and tissue-based methods of measuring inflammation at the cellular level.
The study also underscores the impact of lifestyle choices on biological ageing, revealing that factors such as smoking and alcohol consumption accelerate InflammAge, while healthy dietary patterns — such as regular consumption of oily fish — are associated with a slower rate of inflammation-driven ageing. These findings highlight the importance of lifestyle modifications in managing chronic inflammation and improving long-term health outcomes.
The University of Birmingham’s role in this study exemplifies the power of academic-industry collaboration, with Hurdle’s AI-powered biomarker discovery platform playing a critical role in translating complex biological data into actionable health insights. Dr. Daniel Martin-Herranz, Chief Science Officer at Hurdle, stated: “InflammAge represents a paradigm shift in how we measure and understand chronic inflammation. By developing a robust, saliva-based biomarker, we are not only advancing precision medicine, but also making cutting-edge science accessible for preventative health."
Veronika Óvári, Global Senior Medical Manager at Bayer’s Consumer Health division, added: “As the global population ages, it is increasingly important to better understand and reliably quantify ageing at the biological level. We are excited that through InflammAge a simple, non-invasive, saliva test could revolutionise self-care and how people can manage their ageing journey."
The breakthrough reinforces the University of Birmingham’s commitment to advancing innovative, real-world solutions for healthy ageing. By bridging academic excellence with industry expertise, researchers continue to pave the way for ground-breaking health diagnostics that have the potential to transform lives.
Read the full paper in Ageing Cell Journal.