Continuing our CTML Seminar Series is CTML GSR Nolan Gunter! He will be discussing "Aging Out of the Blue: Region-Specific Epigenetic Clock Calibration for a Blue Zone with the DNAm SuperLearner." This seminar will take place on Wednesday, April 15 at 12:00 PM in Berkeley Way West, 5th Floor, Room 5401.
Abstract: This study addresses the limitations of standard epigenetic clocks when applied to unique populations like the Nicoya "Blue Zone" with data from the Costa Rican Longevity and Healthy Aging Study (CRELES). We propose an ensemble machine learning approach - the SuperLearner - which leverages its Oracle property to asymptotically outperform individual candidate predictors by training a weighted combination of algorithms on a non-Nicoya Costa Rican reference group. We constructed a calibrated hypothesis test to compare residual age distributions between the blue zone and comparison population. Calibration improved consistency in aging estimates among all clocks, with the calibrated SuperLearner estimating a two-year aging advantage in Nicoya (-1.96, 95% CI [-2.56,-1.37]).