Strengthening Systematic Research on Aging: Reflections from an Omics Perspective
Xiaoying Zheng, Chao Guo
Abstract
Population aging has become a global concern in population development. Challenges to good health in older ages are more complex than at any other age and require a comprehensive framework to move the science of aging and health forward. In this paper, we describe an advanced and evolving conceptual framework that includes definitions, goals, disciplines, and a scope of human aging omics (HAO) based on theories and methods of omics science. The development of HAO will bring a paradigm shift in research related to aging and health by systematic identification, characterization, and quantification of all sets of health conditions and their complex relationships with the internal biomolecules and the external environment in the whole aging process of human beings from birth to death throughout the lifespan.