Berit Hippe

HealthBioCare GmbH, Austria

Title: Circulating microRNAs as a Lifestyle-Responsive Biological Age Clock: The MiRNA-3Age Model

---

Biography

Dr. Berit Hippe is CEO and Co-Founder of HealthBioCare GmbH in Vienna, Austria, a company specialising in miRNA-based diagnostics for biological ageing and personalised health. A nutritional scientist by training, she is affiliated with the University of Vienna and has focused her research on circulating miRNA biomarkers, epigenetic ageing and the molecular effects of nutritional and lifestyle interventions. Her work bridges basic biomarker research and clinical application, translating miRNA signatures into diagnostic panels used by clinics, sports federations and preventive medicine practices across Europe. She regularly presents on biological age clocks at international longevity conferences.

Abstract

Chronological age is an imperfect proxy for individual health status, and scalable biomarkers that capture modifiable aspects of biological aging are urgently needed. Circulating microRNAs regulate senescence, inflammation and DNA repair, making them promising candidates for a lifestyle-responsive aging metric. We analysed dried capillary blood samples from an Austrian cohort recruited between 2015 and 2023; after excluding participants with defined chronic conditions, 539 healthy adults (64% female, 18–81 years, mean chronological age 48.8 ± 13.0 years) were included. miR-21, miR-24 and miR-155 were quantified by qPCR and normalised to miR-93, and a multiple linear regression model (80/20 training–test split, repeated 10-fold cross-validation) was developed to estimate biological age (MiRNA-3Age). All three microRNAs contributed significantly to the model (miR-21 ? = ?2.33, p = 0.007; miR-24 ? = 2.90, p = 0.020; miR-155 ? = ?2.34, p = 0.011), with a mean absolute error of 10.4 years; 45.1% of participants were biologically older than their chronological age. Logistic regression linked the deviation index to modifiable behaviour: moderate fish intake (OR 2.3, p = 0.00005), daily whole grain consumption (OR 1.8, p = 0.032), exercise once or twice weekly (p = 0.036) and green tea consumption (p = 0.024) were associated with a biologically younger profile, whereas smoking (p = 0.0004), frequent fast food (p = 0.00005) and high stress (p = 0.005) were associated with accelerated aging. These data establish MiRNA-3Age as a minimally invasive, lifestyle-sensitive aging metric. Extended model refinement and longitudinal follow-up results will be presented at the congress.