Grand Rapids, MI & Lexington, KY – Today, TruDiagnostic licensed a Mitotic Clock developed by epigenetic pioneers at Van Andel Institute and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and will be working with Van Andel Institute to continue to develop and refine this new clock.
Mitosis is the process by which nearly all human and animal cells divide and replicate. It allows people to grow, heal, and sustain complex functions in tissues and organ systems. A Mitotic Clock looks at how many times a cell has undergone replication.
A fully developed Mitotic Clock could become extremely useful in both clinical research and personalized medicine with its ability to detect:
- Cell Senescence. A major biomarker for aging, senescence is when a cell reaches the end of its useful lifespan, but instead of ‘dying’ and breaking down for its parts to be reused by the body, the cell instead goes into a zombie-like state called senescence. In this state, the cell still takes up space and resources, but doesn’t contribute much to the body in return.
- Unusually High Levels of Cell Division. An unusually high proliferation rate may be a flag for cancer or other dangerous diseases. Detecting unusual cell division could detect cancers much earlier than current methods.
- Stem Cell Depletion. When the number of available stem cells falls too low, it can cause a reduction in a person’s ability to heal. It can also affect the rate of aging in organs whose cells have a shorter lifespan and need replacing more often.
“Human life could not exist without mitosis. It is one of the most fundamental processes responsible for building and maintaining our bodies”, said Dr. Peter W. Laird, Professor at Van Andel Institute. “We are thrilled to have found a way to assess the mitotic history of cells in human samples.”
TruDiagnostic says they will be working with the teams at Van Andel Institute to further develop this Mitotic Clock, and help it reach its full potential.
About Van Andel Institute
Van Andel Institute (VAI) is committed to improving the health and enhancing the lives of current and future generations through cutting edge biomedical research and innovative educational offerings. Established in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1996 by the Van Andel family, VAI is now home to more than 400 scientists, educators and support staff, who work with a growing number of national and international collaborators to foster discovery. The Institute’s scientists study the origins of cancer, Parkinson’s and other diseases and translate their findings into breakthrough prevention and treatment strategies. Our educators develop inquiry-based approaches for K-12 education to help students and teachers prepare the next generation of problem-solvers, while our Graduate School offers a rigorous, research-intensive Ph.D. program in molecular and cellular biology. Learn more at vai.org.
About TruDiagnostic
TruDiagnostic is a leading health data company with a focus on multiomics and insights gained from the fluid epigenome. Established in early 2020, after development and build out of its 10,000 sq ft state of the art laboratory with Illumina equipment and consultation it launched its first physician and patient test “TruAge”. Today, TruDiagnostic has built a premiere epigenetic database of DNA Methylation markers and covariates which is one of the largest in the world. The company is currently involved in several clinical studies to examine the effectiveness of products that claim to offer anti-aging benefits, and research projects to create and validate other algorithms to track aging and disease.