Nikolina Lauc is the co-founder and CEO of GlycanAge, a biological-age test built on glycans — the sugar structures on our antibodies that track chronic inflammation, the process known as inflammaging.
The story has a lovely symmetry: the glycan clock was published in the same year as the first epigenetic clock — one invented by Steve Horvath, the other by her father. Two very different corners of biology, both catching sight of the same thing.
What makes glycans unusual is timing. The patterns start shifting up to ten years before a condition would show up in a normal clinical diagnosis — so instead of treating disease once it's arrived, you can tell someone they're heading toward hypertension or insulin resistance while they still have six or seven years to turn it around. And these markers respond: diet and exercise measurably move them.
She is refreshingly firm about what it is not. It isn't a beauty metric — your immune system doesn't show in your face — and there is no single holy-grail number. Epigenetic clocks and glycan clocks don't even correlate with each other. The one you score badly on, she says, is simply your risk, and your opportunity to do something about it.
We walked London with Nikolina, talking about the least glamorous and most useful idea in longevity: measuring the inflammation that quietly sets your risk — and doing it early enough that you can still change the ending.
London
A walk & talk
On glycans, inflammation and what a biological-age test can honestly tell you.
Two clocks
Same year
Horvath's epigenetic clock and her father's glycan clock — published side by side.
Ten years
The head start
Glycan patterns shift long before diagnosis — enough time to reverse course.
"You can see these glycan patterns change up to ten years before symptoms — so you can tell someone they're heading towards hypertension, but they still have six or seven years to reverse it."
— Nikolina Lauc, in London
On the quest
Moments in London
The walking interviewNikolina & Marek, LondonA London garden, 2024With Antonia Schultze-Mosgau, Avi Roy, Tim and MarekWalking LondonWith Marek, 2024
In her words
Not a vanity metric
"It's not a beauty thing at all. Your immune system isn't something you'll see in the age of your face — but it is a mortality and morbidity risk."
Nikolina Lauc · London
Instead of detecting a disease when it's already there, you can pre-empt it.
Nikolina Lauc
Aging is not one thing. It's never going to be simple, and it's always going to be different in different people.
Nikolina Lauc
Epigenetic clocks and glycan clocks don't correlate — you can have a young glycan age and an old epigenetic age.
Nikolina Lauc
The one you score high on is your risk — and your opportunity to do something about it.
Nikolina Lauc
In his own words
Straight from the interview
From our walk with Nikolina in London — what glycans actually measure, why one number will never be enough, and how to use a result well.
What glycans measure
Glycans track chronic inflammation — inflammaging — the slow damage to the immune system that cascades into cardiovascular risk, autoimmunity and cancer. It's a systemic read, not an organ-by-organ one.
"It starts as a holistic aging process, then narrows into cardiovascular risk, autoimmune risk, cancer."
London · from the interview
The head start
The patterns move up to a decade before a diagnosis would land — and, crucially, they move back. Studies already show diet and exercise shifting them, which turns a test result into something you can act on.
"You still have six, seven years to reverse it."
London · from the interview
Why one number won't do
People want a single biological age, and treat their favourite figure as the truth. But different clocks predict genuinely different things — even maximum-lifespan clocks don't correlate with disease clocks.
"There's never going to be one holy grail. Always many different pictures."
The video interview is coming. Recorded interviews go live after the launch of the film & series Live Beyond.
Selected passages from our walking interview with Nikolina Lauc — in London. Lightly edited for readability.
On what they measure
Nikolina Lauc"We measure aging on the systemic level by looking at chronic inflammation — one of the first ways we could measure aging at all. The glycan clock was published the same year as Steve Horvath's epigenetic clock. Two inventors: one was Steve, the other was my dad. Very different parts of biology, seeing the same thing."
On catching it early
Nikolina Lauc"The unique thing about glycans is that they measure something we weren't able to measure before. Instead of detecting a disease when it's already there and having to treat it, you can pre-empt it. You can see these patterns change up to ten years before symptoms and a regular clinical diagnosis. So you can tell someone, 'you're heading towards hypertension or insulin resistance — but now you have six, seven years to reverse it.' And we have studies showing you can change these patterns with diet and exercise."
On what it is not
Nikolina Lauc"It's not a visual thing — that's what confuses people most. Your immune system isn't something you'll see in the age of your face. But it is a mortality and morbidity risk. It's not a beauty thing at all. You can have a young person of thirty-five or forty who dies of a disease of the elderly, and you wouldn't see it coming."
On the myth of one number
Nikolina Lauc"The mistake is people think there's one biological age, one holy grail we're going to discover. Glycans perform better than anything else out there right now, but they're not going to predict your age perfectly. Aging is not one thing — it's never going to be simple, and it's always different in different people. Epigenetic clocks and glycan clocks don't even correlate: you can have a young glycan age and an old epigenetic age, and both predict mortality."
On lifespan versus healthspan
Nikolina Lauc"There are clocks that predict maximum lifespan across hundreds of species, and clocks that predict mortality and morbidity — and they don't correlate. What kills you along the way is completely different from what governs that peak. So if we want to move aging forward, we'll have to change a whole cascade of things: the things that kill you on the way, like inflammation, and this inherent program we all seem to have that we don't yet know how to block."
More passages from the full interview will be published here.
Continue the quest
More minds on the quest
Nikolina works at the Biohacking Upgrades level of the Longevity Map — measuring inflammation, and acting on it early. Here are others on the quest, and the full cast of 100+.
