Buck Institute and Phenome Health team up in longevity partnership

The Buck Institute for Research on Aging and Phenome Health are joining forces in the quest to understand the biology of ageing.

Phenome Health, a Seattle-based nonprofit research organisation, uses a data-driven approach to health and disease that integrates diverse types of biological big data.

The new Center for Phenomic Health at the Buck will be co-led by CEO Dr Lee Hood, who joins the Buck as Chief Innovation Officer and Distinguished Professor, and Eric Verdin, MD, Buck President and CEO.

Verdin said: “I am delighted to welcome Dr Hood to the Buck family as our Chief Innovation Officer and Distinguished Professor.

“The opportunity to form a Center with Lee Hood and his Phenome Health team will be transformational for the Buck.

“We believe combining the novel computational and human characterization engine of Phenome Health with the Buck’s expertise in geroscience, the biology of ageing, has the power to redefine how we age and treat—or prevent altogether—the chronic diseases of ageing.”

Dr Hood is a world-renowned scientist whose automated DNA sequencing technology paved the way for the Human Genome Project.

Phenome Health’s platform combines whole-genome sequencing with phenomic data, including social determinants of health, electronic health records, self-tracking data from wearables and self-assessments, clinical samples of blood, saliva, and microbiome and more.

Using next-generation AI, the research team integrates these data to understand the biology of ageing, its associated diseases and interventions targeting the ageing process.

The centre will be the nexus for the two research partners to advance healthspan for everyone.

Dr Hood said:

“I could not be more delighted to enter into this partnership with the Buck,.

“The Center is uniquely positioned to translate data into understanding healthy ageing, ushering in scientific wellness and ultimately extending each individual’s healthspan.”