Page 36 - The Insurance Times November 2025

Thus, while insurers may gain predictive power, ethical could inform lifestyle modifications or medical
safeguards are essential to prevent misuse and maintain interventions aimed at slowing biological aging.
public trust. Regulatory Frameworks: Anticipated evolution of
policies governing the ethical use of molecular data in
6. Technical Limitations and Challenges insurance and healthcare.
Despite their promise, several limitations constrain the
Commercial Translation: As sequencing costs decline,
practical application of epigenetic clocks in insurance:
insurers may pilot epigenetic-based underwriting
Population Bias: Most clocks are developed using
programs, potentially integrating them with wearable
European ancestry cohorts, raising concerns about health monitoring systems.
applicability across diverse populations.
Environmental Sensitivity: Epigenetic profiles are These advances suggest that epigenetic clocks may
influenced by external factors such as diet, pollution, ultimately become mainstream tools in both biomedical and
and socioeconomic stress, complicating interpretation. actuarial sciences.
Tissue Specificity: Blood-based clocks may not fully
capture systemic aging processes, potentially limiting 8. Conclusion
accuracy.
Epigenetic clocks represent a transformative advancement
Cost and Feasibility: Large-scale methylation profiling in our ability to measure biological aging and predict
remains expensive and logistically challenging for routine mortality. Their validation across large cohorts underscores
insurance use. their potential as superior predictors compared to traditional
Temporal Variability: Epigenetic age may fluctuate over risk factors. For the life insurance industry, these tools offer
short time periods due to acute stress or illness, leading opportunities to enhance risk stratification and policy
to inconsistent risk predictions. personalization, potentially revolutionizing underwriting
practices. However, significant ethical, legal, and technical
These challenges suggest that while the science is advancing challenges must be addressed before widespread
rapidly, widespread implementation requires implementation. Issues of data privacy, discrimination, and
methodological refinement and validation. equitable access remain paramount, alongside the need for
methodological refinement and regulatory oversight.
7. Future Prospects
As science progresses, epigenetic clocks may evolve from
Future research and technological innovations may address research instruments to practical tools with profound
existing challenges and broaden the utility of epigenetic implications for both health and finance. Their adoption in
clocks: life insurance must therefore proceed cautiously, balancing
Refined Clocks: Development of ancestry-inclusive, innovation with ethical responsibility to ensure that the
multi-tissue clocks with greater predictive accuracy.
benefits of precision risk stratification do not come at the
Integration with Multi-omics: Combining methylation cost of fairness and social trust.
data with transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic
markers may enhance mortality prediction. References
Personalized Interventions: Epigenetic age tracking Various Sources.

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The Insurance Times November 2025 33