Understanding the Need for India-Specific Aging Research

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru has taken a pioneering step in higher education and biomedical research by launching the BHARAT Study under its Longevity India Initiative. This ambitious project addresses a critical gap in global aging science: the lack of data tailored to India's diverse population. With India's elderly population—those aged 60 and above—projected to reach 230 million by 2036 and nearly 350 million by 2050, understanding healthy aging has never been more urgent. Universities like IISc are at the forefront, leveraging advanced multi-omics technologies to map biomarkers that influence metabolism, immunity, and gut health.

Traditional aging research has predominantly relied on Western cohorts, overlooking India's unique genetic diversity, vegetarian-heavy diets, high infection burdens, pollution exposure, and rural-urban divides. The BHARAT Study, or Biomarkers of Healthy Aging, Resilience, Adversity, and Transitions, aims to create India's first comprehensive biobank of aging indicators, enabling personalized interventions to extend healthspan—the years lived in good health.

Longevity India Initiative: IISc's Vision for Healthy Aging

Launched in April 2024, the Longevity India Initiative positions IISc as a hub for interdisciplinary aging research. Convened by Prof. Deepak Kumar Saini from the Department of Developmental Biology and Genetics, it unites biologists, engineers, clinicians, and data scientists. Supported by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) through a Centre for Advanced Research in Aging, the initiative fosters collaborations with industry partners like Beckman Coulter and international institutions such as Tufts University and the Avestagenome Project.

IISc's role exemplifies how premier Indian universities are driving translational research. Events like the RISE for Healthy Aging conference in 2025 and upcoming in 2026 bring together global experts, highlighting higher education's pivot toward longevity biotech—a field blending biology, AI, and public health.

Design and Methodology of the BHARAT Study

The BHARAT Study is a cross-sectional cohort designed as a hub-and-spoke model, with IISc as the central hub for omics analysis and biobanking. Regional spokes, including MS Ramaiah Medical College and Bangalore Baptist Hospital, handle recruitment and initial sampling. Targeting 5,000 healthy volunteers aged 18 to 100+, participants are stratified into five groups: 18-29, 30-44, 45-59, 60-74, and 75+ years, ensuring balance across gender, urban-rural settings, and dietary habits.

Exclusion criteria ensure focus on healthy individuals: no chronic diseases like heart failure, autoimmune disorders, or recent surgeries. Data collection involves detailed questionnaires on sociodemographics, diet, lifestyle, and quality of life; clinical exams including cognitive tests and vitals; and biological samples—25ml blood, urine, stool, cheek swabs, and hair strands. Samples are processed under harmonized protocols and stored at -150°C for long-term use.

Multi-Omics Approach: Unlocking Aging Biomarkers

At its core, BHARAT employs cutting-edge multi-omics to profile aging signatures. Genomics uses Axiom Asia Precision Medicine Arrays for 750,000 SNPs, capturing India's genetic variants. Epigenomics assesses DNA methylation at 270,000 CpG sites. Proteomics and metabolomics via nanoLC-MS/MS on Bruker timsTOF platforms identify serum proteins and metabolites. Lipidomics reveals metabolic shifts, while metagenomics on stool samples via Oxford Nanopore sequences the gut microbiome—crucial for immunity and inflammation.

Additional assays include flow cytometry for immune phenotyping, advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) for cellular aging, red blood cell stiffness via microfluidics, and hair roughness imaging. AI/ML integrates this data to retrain biological clocks, predict frailty, and develop organ-specific aging models. For deeper insights, explore the detailed methodology in the April 2026 Aging journal paper.

Spotlight on Metabolism: Fueling Longevity in Indians

Metabolism varies strikingly across populations, influenced by diet and genetics. Indians often exhibit 'thin-fat' phenotypes—lower muscle mass, higher visceral fat—predisposing to diabetes and cardiovascular issues earlier than Westerners. BHARAT's lipidomics and metabolomics will baseline these shifts, identifying metabolites linked to insulin resistance and energy dysregulation in aging.

Early findings suggest rural Indians show distinct profiles from urban cohorts, potentially due to traditional diets rich in fiber but low in processed foods. This data could inform nutrition interventions, like optimized plant-based diets, to enhance metabolic resilience.

Immunity and Gut Health: Gatekeepers of Healthy Aging

The gut microbiome, dubbed the 'second brain,' modulates 70-80% of immunity. In aging, dysbiosis—imbalanced microbes—drives inflammation ('inflammaging'), weakening defenses. BHARAT's metagenomics will profile India's microbiome diversity, influenced by spices, fermented foods like idli and yogurt, and antibiotic overuse.

Immune phenotyping tracks T-cell exhaustion and cytokine profiles. Prof. Siddharth Jhunjhunwala notes, "Aging reshapes innate and adaptive immunity uniquely in Indians." These insights could yield probiotics or fecal transplants tailored for Indian elderly, combating infections and autoimmunity.

Participant Recruitment and Pan-India Diversity

Dual recruitment—hospital OPDs and community camps—ensures representation. Volunteers receive free comprehensive blood reports worth ₹13,000. As of early 2026, over 1,000 rural samples are collected, a key milestone. Pan-India expansion captures North-South-East-West variations, from Himalayan highlanders to coastal fisherfolk.

• Urban vs. Rural: Pollution, diet contrasts.
• Vegetarian vs. Omnivore: Microbiome impacts.
• Gender Balance: Hormonal aging differences.

This diversity positions BHARAT as a gold-standard reference, scalable to longitudinal follow-ups.

Progress, Milestones, and Technological Infrastructure

Conceptualized in 2023-24 with ethics approvals in 2024, sampling ramped up in 2025. By May 2026, steady progress toward 5,000 samples, with IISc's ARCA AI platform enabling secure data capture. The biobank supports AI-driven predictions, like biological age calculators for Indians.

RISE 2026 conference will showcase interim findings. Challenges like logistics in rural areas are met with cold-chain innovations. Visit the BHARAT study page to volunteer or learn more.

Collaborations Driving Innovation in Indian Academia

IISc partners with ICMR, Tufts for nutritional immunity, and Avestagenome for genomics. Industry ties with Healthians and DecodeAge provide assays. This ecosystem exemplifies university-industry synergy, vital for biotech startups in aging.

Other initiatives like IISc's AI Challenge for Brain Aging (₹2 crore prize) complement BHARAT, signaling India's higher ed boom in longevity sciences.

Implications for Policy, Healthcare, and Higher Education

BHARAT's datasets will inform NPHCE expansions, pension reforms, and drug trials. In higher ed, it boosts PhD/postdoc training in omics/AI, attracting global talent. IISc's model inspires IITs, AIIMS in geroscience hubs.

Stakeholders: Policymakers gain frailty indices; clinicians, diagnostics; pharma, targets. A 2026 UNFPA report projects 80+ population tripling, underscoring urgency.

Career Opportunities in Aging Research at Indian Universities

IISc's initiative opens doors for biotech careers. Roles in multi-omics, AI modeling, clinical trials abound. Fellowships via ICMR fund early-career researchers. With India's biotech market eyeing $150B by 2025, skills in microbiome analysis or epigenetic clocks are goldmines.

• PhD/Postdoc: Longevity fellowships.
• Faculty: Tenure-track in geroscience depts.
• Industry: Biomarker R&D at startups.

Prof. Saini emphasizes, "Longevity research needs multidisciplinary talent—biology meets engineering."

Future Outlook: Transforming Healthspan in India

BHARAT paves for longitudinal cohorts, senolytics trials, and AI health apps. By 2030, expect India-specific clocks predicting disease 10 years early. IISc's leadership cements India's spot in global longevity race, benefiting 1.4B through university-led innovation.

As India ages gracefully, higher education remains the catalyst—fostering discoveries that add healthy years to life.

Photo by A Chosen Soul on Unsplash