How old are you?
Your DNA might say something different from your birth certificate, and a mismatch could help doctors spot childhood developmental disorders sooner.
As we age, small chemical changes in our DNA change how our genes are expressed. These ‘epigenetic changes’ can usually be used to accurately predict a person’s age. But, if epigenetic and ‘true’ ages don’t match, this can suggest a number of age-related diseases.
Until recently, these models only worked for adults. Kids, with their rapid periods of growth and development, didn’t fit the adult patterns.
So researchers at BC Children’s Hospital, the University of British Columbia, and the University of California, Los Angeles set about developing an epi
