Risk assessment of age-associated diseases using telomere and microRNA technologies

Prevention and early detection of age-associated diseases are critical to achieve healthy longevity among the super-aged individuals. To this end, technology that can assess the risk of diseases before onset and that can detect diseases at an early stage for early treatment intervention is essential. Technology that measures telomere G-tail length can be used to examine the risk of age-associated diseases, while miRNAs may serve as a novel diagnostic marker for the early detection of diseases, such as cancer and dementia. In this review, the potential of telomere and microRNA technologies as disease risk assessment tools is explored.