The BHARAT study: a multi-modal, multi-omics investigation of aging signatures in the Indian population
India's first comprehensive aging study generates biological age clocks tailored to its population, filling a critical gap as the nation's elderly population grows.
The BHARAT study describes an IISc-led multi-omics cross-sectional aging cohort study explicitly designed to generate Indian population-specific biological age models and organ clocks, addressing the critical gap that most biological aging clocks have been developed for Western populations with limited generalizability. As India's elderly population approaches 347 million by 2050, BHARAT provides an essential infrastructure for aging research, biomarker discovery, and context-specific therapeutic target identification in the world's most populous country.
What the study was
- Study design
- Multi-center cross-sectional cohort (hub-and-spoke) with multi-omics profiling
- Population
- Healthy Indian adults across 5 age groups (18–29, 30–44, 45–59, 60–74, ≥75), rural-urban and gender balanced
- Category
- Prevention
- Maturity
- Exploratory
- Journal
- Aging (Albany NY)
Why it surfaced
First large-scale multi-omics aging cohort designed for the Indian population; addresses systemic underrepresentation in aging biology research. Cross-sectional design limits causal inference but infrastructure significance is high.
A plain-language summary of published research — not medical advice. Talk to a clinician about your own care.