Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) awarded Rutgers The State University of New Jersey, School of Nursing, a $461,514 project grant effective February 1, 2026, through January 31, 2031, under the Aging Research program (CFDA 93.866). This grant supports the development of a comprehensive methodological framework to enhance epigenetic clocks—computational tools that predict chronological age and aging-related diseases from DNA methylation (DNAm) patterns at cytosine-guanine dinucleotide (CpG) sites. The research deliverables include developing transfer learning methods to improve generalizability of existing epigenetic clocks across diverse populations, tissues, and cell types; establishing quantile regression and conformal inference frameworks to generate population-specific prediction intervals that account for heterogeneity in age acceleration; and creating integrative neural network methods to leverage higher-resolution DNAm data and optimize clock performance across different measurement platforms.

The project addresses critical gaps in current epigenetic clock applications by producing both methodological innovations and practical implementation tools. Specific deliverables include bias-correction techniques for reducing clock prediction errors in diverse cohorts, adaptive prediction interval methods that vary by population segment, and integrated approaches for combining information across spatially correlated CpG sites. These methods will be disseminated to the research community, advancing the utility of epigenetic clocks as biomarkers for aging and disease risk assessment across heterogeneous populations.