Frontier Epigenetics with Dr. Tom Stubbs

Dr. Tom Stubbs joins the Decoding Superhuman podcast to speak about methylation testing, biological age, and how to use epigenetics for high performance.

Epigenetics is the only measure of biological age that, independent of the tissue or the sample that you take... whether it be saliva, a liver sample, a urine sample, a blood sample, you get age prediction. Now, if you take telomere length, for instance, you only actually get a weak positive correlation with age in blood.

Who is Dr. Tom Stubbs?

Tom obtained a First-Class Honours degree in Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry from Magdalen College, Oxford. Tom subsequently undertook a PhD in epigenetics at the University of Cambridge, which was broadly on the development and implementation of novel wet-lab and computational methods aimed at improving the understanding of epigenetics (specifically DNA methylation).

Over the last four years, Tom has been working at the forefront of epigenetic research and has authored a number of high impact scientific publications and patented two models. An epigenetics test enables individuals to predict the effects of environmental and lifestyle factors on their biological age. Tom realized that access to information about a person’s epigenetic clock would be incredibly useful from both personal and public health perspectives. Tom co-founded Chronomics, helping individuals to understand how previously unseen factors might have lasting effects on their health ahead of time.

Tom worked alongside Dani and Toby to define the first models, bringing Charles into the team to communicate the science behind Chronomics to the public. The company is unique in its field, providing people with proactive, personalized and consumer-centric health management.

Key Highlights of the Frontier Epigenetics Podcast?

• [4:25] What is epigenetics?
• [5:27] How Chronomics got started?
• [7:43] Next Generation Sequencing technology
• [10:09] Sodium Bisulfate Conversion and Methylation Marks
• [15:26] What you can learn from methylation testing
• [16:55] Epigenetics as the best marker of biological age
• [20:34] The role of epigenetics in the evolution from single-cell organisms to humans
• [24:28] Stress history, environmental toxins, and their relation to epigenetic marks.
• [26:10] Using epigenetic testing to direct lifestyle modification
• [27:41] The future of Chronomics
• [28:20] Data privacy with genetic testing
• [31:28] The 500 million markers measured by Chronomics

Resources Mentioned

• A Brief Overview of Epigenetics in Everyday lifeWhat is DNA Bisulfate Conversion?
• Next Generation Sequencing Explained
• It's Not About the Bike by Lance Armstrong
• Chronomics Testing
• It's Not About the Bike by Lance Armstrong
• PubMed Search for Epigenetics

What is Health to Dr. Tom Stubbs?

• Health is a holistic concept that shouldn't just be the absence of illness.

Dr. Tom Stubbs' Favorite Book on High Performance?

• It's Not About the Bike by Lance Armstrong

Dr. Tom Stubbs' Top Trick to Enhance Focus?

• Exercise
• Removing distractions from technology

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