Dr. Steve Horvath is a pioneering biogerontologist whose revolutionary work in molecular aging biomarkers has transformed the scientific understanding of biological aging processes. He currently serves as a Principal Investigator at the Altos Labs Cambridge Institute of Science, where he leads research on epigenetic reprogramming and cellular rejuvenation in a highly collaborative environment designed for advancing anti-aging interventions. Previously, he was a tenured full professor of Human Genetics and Biostatistics at the University of California, Los Angeles, positions he held since joining the faculty in 2000 following his doctoral training. Born in Frankfurt, Germany in 1967, Horvath earned his Diplom in Mathematics and Physics from Technische Universität Berlin in 1989, followed by a PhD in Mathematics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1995 and a Doctorate of Science in Biostatistics from Harvard University in 2000.
Dr. Horvath's groundbreaking research revolutionized aging biology through the development of epigenetic clocks, which measure biological age with unprecedented accuracy based on DNA methylation patterns. His team published the first epigenetic clock for saliva in 2011, followed by the landmark pan-tissue clock in 2013, now widely known as the Horvath clock, which accurately measures age across virtually all human tissues. In 2021, his laboratory extended this work to develop the first pan-mammalian clock, enabling cross-species aging comparisons, while his weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) method has become a standard bioinformatics tool for genomic applications worldwide. These innovations have been adopted by thousands of researchers globally and have established DNA methylation-based aging biomarkers as the most accurate and reproducible molecular indicators of biological age.
Beyond his methodological contributions, Dr. Horvath has profoundly influenced the aging research community through his extensive collaborations and leadership in developing objective metrics for evaluating potential longevity interventions. His epigenetic clocks have become essential tools in clinical trials assessing anti-aging therapeutics, providing researchers with quantifiable measures of biological aging beyond chronological age. As a principal investigator at Altos Labs, he is now directing research toward identifying novel rejuvenation therapies by leveraging his expertise in epigenetic biomarkers to understand underlying molecular mechanisms of aging. His ongoing work continues to shape the field of biogerontology, with his recent focus on enhancing DNA methylation age estimators to better predict healthspan, improve laboratory applications, and adapt measurements for different model organisms, maintaining his position at the forefront of aging research innovation.
