Method of determining biological/molecular age

Abstract

Methods of obtaining a measurement indicative of oxidative stress and the molecular age of an individual include the step of detecting a mitochondrial DNA deletion and correlating the quantity of the deletion with a measurement of a parameter related to oxygen metabolism.

1 . A method of obtaining a measurement indicative of oxidative stress in an individual subject, the method comprising the steps of: 
 a) obtaining a specimen from an individual;    b) performing an assay on the specimen to detect a quantity of a mitochondrial DNA deletion; and    c) comparing the quantity of the deletion to a reference to obtain a value.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the assay to detect a mitochondrial DNA deletion is selected from the group consisting of: polymerase chain reaction, primer extension, restriction fragment length polymorphism, in situ hybridization, reverse transcription-PCR, differential display of RNA, and antibody-based protein detection.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the reference is selected from the group consisting of: non-deleted mitochondrial DNA, genomic DNA, RNA and protein.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the specimen is cells selected from the group consisting of: epidermal, mucosal, epithelial, hair root, spermatozoa and blood.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the value varies in the time period over which the value measures relative to the second value.  
     
     
         6 . A method of obtaining a measurement indicative of oxidative stress in an individual subject comprising the steps of: 
 a) obtaining a specimen from an individual;    b) performing an assay on the specimen to detect a quantity of a mitochondrial DNA deletion; and    c) comparing the quantity of the deletion to a reference to obtain a value.    
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the assay to detect a mitochondrial DNA deletion is selected from the group consisting of: polymerase chain reaction, primer extension, restriction fragment length polymorphism, in situ hybridization, reverse transcription-PCR, differential display of RNA, and antibody based protein detection.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the reference is selected from the group consisting of: non-deleted mitochondrial DNA, genomic DNA, RNA and protein.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the specimen is cells selected from the group consisting of: epidermal, mucosal, epithelial, hair root, spermatozoa and blood.