Abstract
There are extensive ongoing efforts to slow or even reverse human aging, such as with epigenetic cellular reprogramming, thymus rejuvenation or senolytics. In parallel, new and diverse metrics—known as biological clocks—have been discovered and shown to track the pace of aging in an individual and their organs, tissues and cells. These clocks have multiple potential use cases, including identifying people at high risk of disease, serving as a foundation for prevention or early detection, and determining whether lifestyle factors or an intervention can modulate the aging process. This review provides a critical appraisal of the progress that is being made with biological clocks and how they might ultimately help understand pathobiology, reduce the burden of disease and extend healthspan.
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Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
Tony Wyss-Coray
The Phil and Penny Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
Tony Wyss-Coray
Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
Tony Wyss-Coray
Scripps Research Translational Institute, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, USA
Eric J. Topol
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The authors each drafted different sections: T.W.C. drafted the basic science and pre-clinical work, and E.J.T. drafted the clinical studies. The authors worked together with extensive reciprocal editing, and both responded to the reviewer and editor comments for the final draft
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T.W.-C. is a cofounder and scientific advisor of Teal Rise and Vero Biosciences. E.J.T. declares no competing interests
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Wyss-Coray, T., Topol, E.J. Biological aging clocks in health and disease.
Nat Med (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-026-04495-3
Received:02 February 2026
Accepted:28 May 2026
Published:09 July 2026
Version of record:09 July 2026
DOI
:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-026-04495-3
