Improving precision in investigating aging: why telomeres can cause problems.

A host of recent publications has highlighted a growing number of discrepancies between small-scale laboratory-based studies and larger clinical and epidemiological studies, using telomere length as a bio-aging marker for physical, sociological, and psychological parameters in their respective cohorts. These discrepancies may be rooted in differing telomere length measurement methods and their application. This leads to the question of just how robust telomere length is as a biomarker of aging and whether measurement of CDKN2A levels offers a better alternative. The latter has already provided reproducible data from a small number of clinical studies and in one proven better than telomere length determination in predicting organ function. It seems prudent to address the use of these markers, alone or in combination, in multicentre double-blinded studies, using standardized methodologies and reagents, in order to identify the most appropriate marker and method for investigating bio-aging.