Aging research is shifting from a general—sometimes vague—notion of aging as a single measurement at the individual level to a more precise understanding of how a person’s individual organs age. A better appreciation of how aging is actually occurring in the body may offer a more nuanced personalized approach for clinical prediction and intervention. A new research partnership between Biograph and Vero Bioscience aims to explore how to apply this understanding in the clinic.
Traditionally, clinical interventions to improve healthspan have most often been aimed at individual biomarkers without clear insight into how different organs and organ systems in the body are actually changing over time in response. However, as preventive healthcare approaches continue to gain traction, researchers and clinicians require a more precise understanding of what aging actually looks like inside the body [1].
Evidence suggests that individual organs and organ systems within the body age at different rates with profound implications for our health. Differences in organ aging may show up as differing individual risks for aging-related chronic diseases. A singular measurement of chronological or biological age may not reveal these risks.
Starting this month, Biograph will enroll clinically eligible participants to take part in a six-month-long clinical study in partnership with Vero, a predictive health company that uses AI-powered proteomics to measure the biological age of each organ from a simple blood draw. This study will assess how Vero’s proteomic OrganAge™ test provides insights into chronic disease risk response to clinical interventions designed to reduce those risks.
The goal is not just to measure aging more precisely, but to understand how these signals can be tracked and addressed accordingly, over time and with targeted changes to lifestyle.
The new research partnership between Biograph and Vero—explained
Biograph is partnering with Vero to study a novel approach to measuring aging at the organ level using proteomics—a technology that analyzes thousands of proteins circulating in the blood [2].
At the center of this collaboration is Vero’s OrganAge™, an AI-powered biomarker designed to estimate how different organs age relative to chronological age. [3]
Rather than asking how old is your body as a whole, this test takes things a few steps deeper by exploring which systems in your body are aging faster or slower than expected.
Biograph’s study with Vero will evaluate how well organ-specific proteomics signals:
Align with established clinical biomarkers
Predict future disease risk
Respond to targeted interventions over time
Why Biograph and Vero are partnering on organ-specific aging
Preventive healthcare relies on a combination of biomarkers, imaging, and clinical assessment to identify risk. Biograph evaluates a wide range of targeted biomarkers, including aerobic capacity, body composition, strength, advanced blood-based markers, and a variety of MRI- and CT-based biomarkers. Vero’s proteomic OrganAge™ test aims to extend this further by assessing organ-specific aging on a molecular level to reveal early signals of age-related decline.
Organ-specific proteomics is designed to identify where functional change may already be underway—potentially before it becomes visible through standard clinical measures. Through this study, Biograph Black members will have the opportunity to participate in a structured evaluation of these signals and how they compare to existing diagnostics.
Vero’s OrganAge™ technology, developed at Stanford involving more than 45,000 individuals over 15 years, aims to detect early molecular shifts in organ systems before traditional markers change. [3]
The partnership is designed to answer a critical question in longevity and preventive healthcare: Can biological signals from your organs improve how early we detect and intervene on disease risk, and how do resulting targeted interventions drive clinical outcomes?
Why does organ-specific aging matter?
One of the most important insights emerging from organ-aging research is that aging is not a uniform process. [3] Different organs in your body age at different rates due to:
Genetics
Environmental exposures
Lifestyle factors
Underlying disease processes
Organ-specific aging has been strongly associated with future health outcomes, including all-cause mortality. In a UK Biobank study of approximately 45,000 individuals, increases in an OrganAge™ Gap—how much older it appears relative to chronological age—were linked to a 20-60% higher risk of death, with brain aging showing the strongest association [3].
These findings highlight how accelerated aging in specific systems may directly influence disease risk. For example:
Cardiovascular aging: An accelerated heart age is associated with an approximately 75% greater risk for atrial fibrillation and 83% higher risk for heart failure.
Brain aging: Accelerated brain aging was linked to a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease, comparable to carrying one copy of the APOE4 genetic variant, and a 59% increase in all-cause mortality for every standard deviation increase in the brain OrganAge™ gap
System-specific resilience: Maintaining a younger biological age in the brain or immune system was associated with longer lifespan, even when other systems showed signs of aging
In this context, identifying where aging is occurring in the body guides clinicians toward precise, preventive interventions that slow or reverse organ aging.
How will this study evaluate organ-specific aging?
The Biograph-Vero study is designed to compare Vero’s proteomic OrganAge™ measurements against established clinical benchmarks.
Participants will undergo:
By combining these datasets, the study aims to evaluate:
What is the OrganAge™ test being compared against?
A key component of the study is direct comparison. Vero’s proteomic OrganAge™ test is being evaluated against:
Imaging data (cardiovascular and brain)
Functional metrics like VO2 max
Body composition via DEXA
Standard clinical biomarkers
What does participation in the study look like?
Clinically eligible Biograph Black members can participate in a six-month study designed to evaluate both predictive insight and response to intervention over time.
The process begins with a comprehensive baseline assessment, including imaging, clinical labs, and proteomics testing. From there, members receive personalized intervention strategies tailored to their results, followed by repeat testing at three and six months.
This approach allows the researchers to assess not only where risk may be emerging, but also whether targeted interventions can meaningfully shift those signals over time.
What this could mean for a member
Consider this hypothetical case study of a Biograph member in their early 50s. At baseline, their traditional biomarkers may fall largely within normal ranges. VO2 max is average for their age, and imaging does not reveal any overt signs of disease.
However, proteomics data suggest accelerated cardiovascular aging relative to their chronological age.
On its own, this type of signal may be difficult to interpret. But when integrated into a broader clinical context, it can help guide more targeted interventions, such as:
Focused cardiovascular training
Nutritional adjustments
Closer monitoring of lipid and inflammatory markers
Six months later, repeat testing may show:
Improved VO2 max
Favorable changes in metabolic markers
A shift in organ-specific aging signals
Common misconceptions about longevity and organ age
As interest in longevity continues to grow, so does confusion around what newer technologies actually do, and what they don’t.
One common misconception is that emerging tools like proteomics replace traditional biomarkers. They are designed to complement them. This study is specifically evaluating how Vero’s proteomic OrganAge™ compares to, and works alongside, established clinical measures—not in place of them.
Another misconception is that all biological age tests are the same. Many generalized “aging clocks” aim to estimate a single biological age for the entire body. Vero’s proteomic OrganAge™ takes a different approach by identifying where aging is occurring in the body. This can offer more precise insight into which systems may need specific attention.
There is also a tendency to assume that more data automatically leads to better outcomes, but the truth is, data alone do not improve health. Their value depends on how it is interpreted and whether it leads to targeted, actionable interventions. Without that structure, additional information can create more noise than clarity.
The bottom line
The future of longevity is not about estimating how old your body is. It’s about identifying where change is happening, when it begins, and how to intervene early enough to shift the trajectory.
Longevity is shifting away from hyperfocusing on extending lifespan and shifting towards understanding how different systems in the body change over time and how adverse changes can be reversed or mitigated.
The Biograph and Vero study represents an early step toward a more precise and predictive model of preventive healthcare—one that moves beyond averages and toward insights tailored to you and your specific health needs.
For members, it offers something more concrete: the ability to measure not just where you are, but whether what you are doing is working to keep you disease-free for longer.
What is organ-specific aging?
Organ-specific aging refers to the idea that different systems in the body, such as the heart, brain, or immune system, may age at different rates. Researchers are studying how these differences may influence long-term disease risk and overall health outcomes.
What is proteomics and how is it used in longevity research?
Proteomics is the study of proteins circulating in the body. In preventive healthcare and longevity research, proteomics may help identify early biological changes associated with aging and chronic disease risk before traditional clinical markers change.
Can organ-specific aging help identify disease risk earlier?
Researchers are studying whether organ-specific aging signals may help identify elevated disease risk before symptoms develop or before changes appear through standard clinical testing. The Biograph and Vero Bioscience clinical study is designed to evaluate this question further.
What does participation in the Biograph and Vero Bioscience study involve?
Clinically eligible participants undergo baseline testing that includes proteomics, imaging, clinical labs, VO2 max testing, and DEXA analysis. Participants then receive personalized interventions followed by repeat assessments over six months to evaluate changes over time.
Why does preventive healthcare focus on long-term tracking?
Many chronic diseases develop gradually over time. Longitudinal tracking allows clinicians to monitor how health markers respond to interventions and identify meaningful changes earlier, before disease becomes clinically apparent.
Dr. Michael Doney is Biograph’s Executive Medical Director, with over 20 years of experience leading clinical care and advancing a more proactive, data-driven approach to medicine.
Clinical references
De la Torre K, Min S, Lee H, Kang D. The Application of Preventive Medicine in the Future Digital Health Era. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 2025;27:e59165. doi:10.2196/59165
Al-Amrani S, Al-Jabri Z, Al-Zaabi A, Alshekaili J, Al-Khabori M. Proteomics: Concepts and Applications in Human Medicine. World Journal of Biological Chemistry. 2021;12(5):57-69. doi:10.4331/wjbc.v12.i5.57
Oh HSH, Guen L, Rappoport N, et al. Plasma proteomics links brain and immune system aging with healthspan and longevity. Nature Medicine. Published online July 9, 2025:1-9. doi:10.1038/s41591-025-03798-1
