• Researchers followed 5,400 Singaporeans over 10 years, with findings subsequently validated across populations in the US and UK

• Insights informed practical application as a future health assessment tool, developed by Lucence

SINGAPORE, 11 August 2026 – Lucence today highlighted how findings from long-term ageing research are informing new approaches to biological age assessment and its potential role in preventive and personalised healthcare. The findings have since been translated into a practical future health assessment tool designed to empower individuals to seek out and achieve healthier outcomes – illustrating how scientific insights can support healthcare innovation.

These findings come as Singapore's population ages: the proportion of citizens aged 65 and above rose from 13.1% in 2015 to 20.7% in 2025 and is projected to reach 23.9% by 2030. 

This work reflects Singapore’s broader efforts to harness research and innovation to address the challenges of an ageing population. By providing a clearer picture of how people may be ageing, biological age assessment could encourage earlier, proactive steps by the individual to optimise his or her long-term health.

• Rethinking how ageing is measured

To better understand how people age and how physiological changes relate to long-term health outcomes in the Singapore Longitudinal Ageing Studies (SLAS), researchers from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine) and Institute for Health Innovation and Technology (iHealthtech) at NUS followed more than 5,400 older Singaporeans for over a decade.^a

Dr Cyrus Ho Su Hui, SLAS Principal Investigator and Assistant Professor at NUS Medicine said: "Long-term population research like this offers a rare window into how ageing actually unfolds over a lifetime. It has helped us to understand how physiological changes translate into health outcomes decades later. 

"As Singapore's population ages, extending health span is not only a healthcare imperative, but also an economic one. The shift we need is from reactive care to personalised, preventive health and that is what this milestone represents." 

• What the research found

Biological age reflects how a person’s body may be ageing physiologically and can differ from their actual chronological age. The research found that the gap between the two was closely associated with long-term health, highlighting 3 key findings.^{b, c, d, e, f}

1. Smoking and excess body weight showed the strongest associations with an older biological age.^{b, c, d} 

   - Current smokers had a biological age about 3.6 years older than non-smokers.

   - Participants in the study’s higher obesity category had a biological age about 4.2 years older than those in the normal BMI range.

   
   

2. Regular physical activity and a plant-rich diet were associated with a younger biological age.^{b, e, f}

   • Singapore participants who exercised frequently had a biological age about 1.25 years younger than those who never exercised or exercised less than once a month.

   • Plant food intake was associated with a biological age about one year younger than no reported plant food intake.

3. Existing data from routine blood tests could offer a broader indication of how the body was ageing when their results are assessed together.^b 

   • Rather than relying on broad demographic and lifestyle indicators, analysing routine blood test results collectively captures differences in how individuals are ageing that other biological age models may overlook.

   • In comparisons between two individuals, the biological age measure identified who had higher long-term health risks 63% of the time, compared with 60% using chronological age alone.

   • While modest, the improvement suggests that biological age can add meaningful insight to assessments based on chronological age alone, including among individuals whose test results were within normal ranges.

• From long-term research to practical application

The translation of these findings into practical application reflects the strength of Singapore’s research and innovation ecosystem, bringing together NUS’ expertise in clinical, population health and academic research, A*STAR’s R&D, translation and commercialisation capabilities, and Lucence’s capabilities in precision health development and industry implementation. 

Together, the parties uncovered the importance of the gap between biological and chronological age as an indicator of long-term health outcomes. 

NUS, A*STAR and Lucence worked closely across the research and translation journey, drawing on complementary capabilities to develop and strengthen the underlying technology. A*STAR and NUS Enterprise enabled the commercialisation and licensing of the intellectual property, helping to translate the research towards real-world application.

Dr Joe Yeong, Principal Scientist at the A*STAR Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (A*STAR IMCB) said: "The effects of ageing can be seen in our bodies long before disease develops. By analysing multiple biomarkers together and evaluating the approach across large populations, we showed that biological age can provide a more nuanced understanding of how individuals are ageing and how this relates to future health outcomes. This helps strengthen the scientific foundation for future research and applications in healthy ageing."

Lucence contributed industry expertise to the research process and commercial development capabilities to help advance the technology towards potential deployment and future healthcare applications. The resulting algorithm has since been commercialised by AgeQuotient, the wellness arm of the Lucence Group, as a future health assessment tool - AgeQ™.  

Dr Tan Min-Han, Founding CEO of the Lucence Group said: “Healthy longevity is not about simply living longer, but staying healthier for longer. Our role at Lucence is to help bring these ageing insights to practical and scalable use, so individuals can better understand, monitor and proactively manage their health through a future health assessment tool.”

• Advancing healthy longevity through research and innovation

Healthy longevity is becoming an increasingly important national priority as Singapore seeks to help people live longer while remaining healthier for more of those years. A study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) and NUS Medicine published in The Lancet Public Health found that Singapore ranked first globally in 2023 for both overall life expectancy and healthy life expectancy. However, the study revealed a widening morbidity gap of 11.2 years spent in poor health. 

Responding to the needs of an ageing population will require closer integration of long-term research, precision health and practical healthcare applications. The partnership between NUS, A*STAR and Lucence demonstrates how long-term population research, public sector science and enterprise capabilities can contribute at different stages of the innovation journey.

The work brings ageing research closer to achieve healthier outcomes at the population level earlier, and economically, it creates a pathway for Singapore-developed intellectual property to be validated, commercialised and potentially adopted in international markets.

Building on the SLAS findings, Lucence intends to explore additional biomarkers that could help identify cardiovascular disease and cancer risks that may emerge as individuals age.

With the biological age tool already available in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Indonesia, AgeQuotient will work with partners to grow its reach and drive wider accessibility to healthy longevity across Asia and beyond.

- END -

Notes to Editors

The SLAS analysed data from 5,409 individuals in Singapore over an average period of 11.4 years, as part of the long-running Singapore Longitudinal Ageing Studies (SLAS), which has tracked older Singaporeans' health for over 20 years. This took into account variables including age, sex, as well as commonly available biomarkers such as red and white blood cell counts, kidney function, nutritional status and blood sugar. These were used to estimate a person’s biological age and other relevant factors to achieve healthier outcomes.

The findings were subsequently tested against data from populations in the United States and the United Kingdom. In total, the research drew on data from 302,951 individuals across Singapore, the US and the UK. 

• Singapore Longitudinal Ageing Studies 新加坡纵向衰老研究

• Dr Cyrus Ho, SLAS Principal Investigator and Assistant Professor at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS 何书晖医生 新加坡纵向衰老研究首席研究员 新加坡国立大学(国大)杨潞龄医学院心理医疗科系助理教授

• Dr Tan Min-Han, Founding CEO, Lucence Group 路胜集团 总裁 陈民汉医生

• Dr Joe Yeong Poh Sheng, Principal Scientist at the A*STAR Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (A*STAR IMCB) 新科研分子和细胞生物学研究院 首席科学家 杨宝诚博士

Media Contacts

Lucence

Melissa Chew

Marketing & Communications

About Lucence 

Lucence is a Singapore-founded precision health company focused on developing blood-based technologies for the earlier detection of cancer and age-related diseases. Comprising Lucence Diagnostics Pte. Ltd., AgeQuotient Pte. Ltd., and other subsidiaries, the group translates scientific research into practical diagnostic and health assessment applications. 

About NUS  

The National University of Singapore (NUS) is Singapore’s flagship university, which offers a global approach to education, research and entrepreneurship, with a focus on Asian perspectives and expertise. We have 15 colleges, faculties and schools across three campuses in Singapore, with more than 40,000 students from 100 countries enriching our vibrant and diverse campus community. We have also established more than 20 NUS Overseas Colleges entrepreneurial hubs around the world.

Our multidisciplinary and real-world approach to education, research and entrepreneurship enables us to work closely with industry, governments and academia to address crucial and complex issues relevant to Asia and the world. Researchers in our faculties, research centres of excellence, corporate labs and more than 30 university-level research institutes focus on themes that include energy; environmental and urban sustainability; treatment and prevention of diseases; active ageing; advanced materials; risk management and resilience of financial systems; Asian studies; and Smart Nation capabilities such as artificial intelligence, data science, operations research and cybersecurity.

For more information on NUS, please visit nus.edu.sg.  

About NUS Enterprise   

At NUS Enterprise, the entrepreneurial heart of the National University of Singapore (NUS), we advance the University as a global magnet for talent and an engine for impactful innovation. We seed ideas, spark innovation, and scale ventures through our distinctive 360° framework, integrating education, ecosystem support, and world-class venture building and investment.    

This creates a self-reinforcing cycle powering both educational and entrepreneurial outcomes across industries and communities. Since 2001, NUS Enterprise has nurtured 10 unicorns, over 3,000 start-ups, and 5,500 students. Our ambition: to improve the lives of 1 billion people by 2035.    

For more information on NUS Enterprise, please visit enterprise.nus.edu.sg.

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References

1. Biological age refers to how well a person's body is functioning relative to their chronological (calendar) age. 

   It reflects the cumulative effects of genetics, lifestyle and environmental factors on the body's ageing process.

2. Population in Brief 2025, The National Population and Talent Division Singapore, 29 Sep 2025.

3. Global, regional, and national trends in the morbidity gap and contributing diseases, injuries, and risk factors, 1990–2023: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, The Lancet.

a. Wei, Kai, Ma Shwe Nyunt, Qi Gao, Shiou Liang Wee, and Tze-Pin Ng. “Frailty and Malnutrition: Related and Distinct Syndrome Prevalence and Association among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Singapore Longitudinal Ageing Studies.” Journal of the American Medical Directors Association 18, no. 12 (December 2017): 1019–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2017.06.017.

b. Lim, Xinru, Jiangfeng Ye, Denise Goh, Jess Vo, Roger Ho, Min-Han Tan, and Joe Yeong. “Predictive Model for Mortality Risk Stratification Using Laboratory Biomarkers in Singaporeans.” Innovation in Aging 9, no. Supplement_2 (December 1, 2025). https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igaf122.3829.

c. Wang, Hang, Xiaowen Qin, Conghui Qiao, Shenghan Lou, Xinyi Sun, Yuqing Song, Yang Chen, et al. “Effect of Earlier Age of Tobacco Exposure on Accelerated Biological Aging in Adulthood.” Mayo Clinic Proceedings 100, no. 9 (September 2025): 1519–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2025.01.009.

d. Tang D, Guo Z, Chen J, Chen Y, Zhang Y. “Different dimensions of smoking behavior and their associations with accelerated composite biomarkers-based biological aging in Chinese older adults.” BMC Geriatrics 2026;26:14 (1 December 2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-025-06828-2.

e. Zhu, Jianwei, Yao Yang, Yu Zeng, Xin Han, Wenwen Chen, Yao Hu, Yuanyuan Qu, et al. “The Association of Physical Activity Behaviors and Patterns with Aging Acceleration: Evidence from the UK Biobank.” The Journals of Gerontology: Series A 78, no. 5 (February 23, 2023): 753–61. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glad064.

f. Harris, Kathleen Mullan, Brandt Levitt, Lauren Gaydosh, Chantel Martin, Jess M. Meyer, Aura Ankita Mishra, Audrey L. Kelly, and Allison E. Aiello. “Sociodemographic and Lifestyle Factors and Epigenetic Aging in US Young Adults.” JAMA Network Open 7, no. 7 (July 29, 2024). https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.27889.