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Biological age, distinct from an individual's chronological age, has been studied extensively through predictive aging clocks. However, these clocks have limited accuracy in short time-scales. Here we trained deep learning models on fundus images from the EyePACS dataset to predict individuals' chronological age. Our retinal aging clocking, 'eyeAge', predicted chronological age more accurately than other aging clocks (mean absolute error of 2.86 and 3.30 years on quality-filtered data from EyePACS and UK Biobank, respectively). Additionally, eyeAge was independent of blood marker-based measures of biological age, maintaining an all-cause mortality hazard ratio of 1.026 even when adjusted for phenotypic age. The individual-specific nature of eyeAge was reinforced via multiple GWAS hits in the UK Biobank cohort. The top GWAS locus was further validated via knockdown of the fly homolog, Alk, which slowed age-related decline in vision in flies. This study demonstrates the potential utility of a retinal aging clock for studying aging and age-related diseases and quantitatively measuring aging on very short time-scales, opening avenues for quick and actionable evaluation of gero-protective therapeutics.

Transformative technologies are enabling the construction of threedimensional (3D) maps of tissues with unprecedented spatial and molecularresolution. Over the next seven years, the NIH Common Fund Human BiomolecularAtlas Program (HuBMAP) intends to develop a widely accessible framework forcomprehensively mapping the human body at single-cell resolution by supportingtechnology development, data acquisition, and detailed spatial mapping. HuBMAPwill integrate its efforts with other funding agencies, programs, consortia,and the biomedical research community at large towards the shared vision of acomprehensive, accessible 3D molecular and cellular atlas of the human body, inhealth and various disease settings.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) is a growing health problem, but little is known about its early disease stages, its effects on biological processes or the transition to clinical T2D. To understand the earliest stages of T2D better, we obtained samples from 106 healthy individuals and individuals with prediabetes over approximately four years and performed deep profiling of transcriptomes, metabolomes, cytokines, and proteomes, as well as changes in the microbiome. This rich longitudinal data set revealed many insights: first, healthy profiles are distinct among individuals while displaying diverse patterns of intra- and/or inter-personal variability. Second, extensive host and microbial changes occur during respiratory viral infections and immunization, and immunization triggers potentially protective responses that are distinct from responses to respiratory viral infections. Moreover, during respiratory viral infections, insulin-resistant participants respond differently than insulin-sensitive participants. Third, global co-association analyses among the thousands of profiled molecules reveal specific host-microbe interactions that differ between insulin-resistant and insulin-sensitive individuals. Last, we identified early personal molecular signatures in one individual that preceded the onset of T2D, including the inflammation markers interleukin-1 receptor agonist (IL-1RA) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) paired with xenobiotic-induced immune signalling. Our study reveals insights into pathways and responses that differ between glucose-dysregulated and healthy individuals during health and disease and provides an open-access data resource to enable further research into healthy, prediabetic and T2D states.

Precision health relies on the ability to assess disease risk at an individual level, detect early preclinical conditions and initiate preventive strategies. Recent technological advances in omics and wearable monitoring enable deep molecular and physiological profiling and may provide important tools for precision health. We explored the ability of deep longitudinal profiling to make health-related discoveries, identify clinically relevant molecular pathways and affect behavior in a prospective longitudinal cohort (n = 109) enriched for risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The cohort underwent integrative personalized omics profiling from samples collected quarterly for up to 8 years (median, 2.8 years) using clinical measures and emerging technologies including genome, immunome, transcriptome, proteome, metabolome, microbiome and wearable monitoring. We discovered more than 67 clinically actionable health discoveries and identified multiple molecular pathways associated with metabolic, cardiovascular and oncologic pathophysiology. We developed prediction models for insulin resistance by using omics measurements, illustrating their potential to replace burdensome tests. Finally, study participation led the majority of participants to implement diet and exercise changes. Altogether, we conclude that deep longitudinal profiling can lead to actionable health discoveries and provide relevant information for precision health.

To understand the health impact of long-duration spaceflight, one identical twin astronaut was monitored before, during, and after a 1-year mission onboard the International Space Station; his twin served as a genetically matched ground control. Longitudinal assessments identified spaceflight-specific changes, including decreased body mass, telomere elongation, genome instability, carotid artery distension and increased intima-media thickness, altered ocular structure, transcriptional and metabolic changes, DNA methylation changes in immune and oxidative stress-related pathways, gastrointestinal microbiota alterations, and some cognitive decline postflight. Although average telomere length, global gene expression, and microbiome changes returned to near preflight levels within 6 months after return to Earth, increased numbers of short telomeres were observed and expression of some genes was still disrupted. These multiomic, molecular, physiological, and behavioral datasets provide a valuable roadmap of the putative health risks for future human spaceflight.

Identifying "druggable" targets and their corresponding therapeutic agents are two fundamental challenges in drug discovery research. The one-bead-one-compound (OBOC) combinatorial library method has been developed to discover peptides or small molecules that bind to a specific target protein or elicit a specific cellular response. The phage display cDNA expression proteome library method has been employed to identify target proteins that interact with specific compounds. Here, we combined these two high-throughput approaches, efficiently interrogated approximately 10(13) possible molecular interactions, and identified 91 small molecule compound beads that interacted strongly with the phage library. Of 19 compounds resynthesized, 4 were cytotoxic against cancer cells; one of these compounds was found to interact with EIF5B and inhibit protein translation. As more binding pairs are confirmed and evaluated, the "library-against-library" screening approach and the resulting small molecule-protein domain interaction database may serve as a valuable tool for basic research and drug development.

The molecular changes that occur with aging are not well understood.sup.1-4. Here, we performed longitudinal and deep multiomics profiling of 106 healthy individuals from 29 to 75 years of age and examined how different types of 'omic' measurements, including transcripts, proteins, metabolites, cytokines, microbes and clinical laboratory values, correlate with age. We identified both known and new markers that associated with age, as well as distinct molecular patterns of aging in insulin-resistant as compared to insulin-sensitive individuals. In a longitudinal setting, we identified personal aging markers whose levels changed over a short time frame of 2-3 years. Further, we defined different types of aging patterns in different individuals, termed 'ageotypes', on the basis of the types of molecular pathways that changed over time in a given individual. Ageotypes may provide a molecular assessment of personal aging, reflective of personal lifestyle and medical history, that may ultimately be useful in monitoring and intervening in the aging process. Longitudinal multiomics profiling of a cohort of healthy people reveals distinct aging patterns--termed ageotypes--in different individuals., Author(s): Sara Ahadi [sup.1] , Wenyu Zhou [sup.1] , Sophia Miryam Schüssler-Fiorenza Rose [sup.1] , M. Reza Sailani [sup.1] , Kévin Contrepois [sup.1] , Monika Avina [sup.1] , Melanie Ashland [...]

The "one-bead two-compound" (OB2C) combinatorial library is constructed on topologically segregated trifunctional bilayer beads such that each bead has a fixed cell-capturing ligand and a random library compound co-displayed on its surface and a chemical coding tag (bar code) inside the bead. An OB2C library containing thousands to millions of compounds can be synthesized and screened concurrently within a short period of time. When live cells are incubated with such OB2C libraries, every bead will be coated with a monolayer of cells. The cell membranes of the captured cells facing the bead surface are exposed to the library compounds tethered to each bead. A specific biochemical or cellular response can be detected with an appropriate reporter system. The OB2C method enables investigators to rapidly discover synthetic molecules that not only interact with cell-surface receptors but can also stimulate or inhibit downstream cell signaling. To demonstrate this powerful method, one OB2C peptide library and two OB2C peptidomimetic libraries were synthesized and screened against Molt-4 lymphoma cells to discover "death ligands." Apoptosis of the bead-bound cells was detected with immunocytochemistry using horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-conjugated anti-cleaved caspase-3 antibody and 3,3'-diaminobenzidine as a substrate. Two novel synthetic "death ligands" against Molt-4 cells were discovered using this OB2C library approach.

We demonstrate early progress toward constructing a high-throughput, single-molecule protein sequencing technology utilizing barcoded DNA aptamers (binders) to recognize terminal amino acids of peptides (targets) tethered on a next-generation sequencing chip. DNA binders deposit unique, amino acid-identifying barcodes on the chip. The end goal is that, over multiple binding cycles, a sequential chain of DNA barcodes will identify the amino acid sequence of a peptide. Toward this, we demonstrate successful target identification with two sets of target-binder pairs: DNA-DNA and Peptide-Protein. For DNA-DNA binding, we show assembly and sequencing of DNA barcodes over six consecutive binding cycles. Intriguingly, our computational simulation predicts that a small set of semi-selective DNA binders offers significant coverage of the human proteome. Toward this end, we introduce a binder discovery pipeline that ultimately could merge with the chip assay into a technology called ProtSeq, for future high-throughput, single-molecule protein sequencing., Competing Interests: A.B., M.D., M.C., B.W., P.J., M.B., and A.P. are employees and shareholders of Alphabet. Google has filed patent applications related to this work, including PCT/US2020/050574, PCT/US2020/053716, PCT/US2020/040130, PCT/US2020/053715. US20210079398A1, US20210079557A1, US20210102248A1, and WO2021051011A1. M.C. is an inventor of US10546650B2. All work was completed while authors were affiliated with Alphabet. Current affiliations for authors who have moved on from Alphabet are the following: J.H., S.S., Z.C., M.F., L.C., University of California, San Francisco (UCSF); M.G., 10x Genomics; D.W., Genentech, employee and shareholder; Y.C., University of Washington, Seattle; S.A., Alkahest, employee; L.S., Insitro, employee; A.H.-T.L., University of California Los Angeles (UCLA); V.A.C., Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis., (© 2021 The Author(s).)

The "one-bead two-compound" (OB2C) combinatorial library is constructed on topologically segregated trifunctional bilayer beads such that each bead has a fixed cell-capturing ligand and a random library compound co-displayed on its surface and a chemical coding tag (bar code) inside the bead. An OB2C library containing thousands to millions of compounds can be synthesized and screened concurrently within a short period of time. When live cells are incubated with such OB2C libraries, every bead will be coated with a monolayer of cells. The cell membranes of the captured cells facing the bead surface are exposed to the library compounds tethered to each bead. A specific biochemical or cellular response can be detected with an appropriate reporter system. The OB2C method enables investigators to rapidly discover synthetic molecules that not only interact with cell-surface receptors but can also stimulate or inhibit downstream cell signaling. To demonstrate this powerful method, one OB2C peptide library and two OB2C peptidomimetic libraries were synthesized and screened against Molt-4 lymphoma cells to discover "death ligands." Apoptosis of the bead-bound cells was detected with immunocytochemistry using horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-conjugated anti-cleaved caspase-3 antibody and 3,3'-diaminobenzidine as a substrate. Two novel synthetic "death ligands" against Molt-4 cells were discovered using this OB2C library approach.