According to a recent study, a selfie might serve as an instrument for physicians to assess a person’s “ biological age” and evaluate their potential response to cancer therapy.
Because humans age at different rates, their physical appearance may offer insights into their so-called " "physiological age" - how old they are from a biological standpoint , academics say.
The research revealed that the FaceAge AI tool can determine a person’s biological age, rather than their chronological age, through analyzing an image of their face.
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According to researchers at Mass General Brigham in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, a person’s biological age, an indicator of general well-being that may also forecast longevity, hinges on various elements such as lifestyle choices and genetic makeup.
They aimed to investigate if biological age could be assessed through one’s appearance—akin to what physicians refer to as an “eyeball test,” where specific assessments are derived from how a person appears.
This might involve determining if an individual is suitable for aggressive cancer therapy considering their apparent physical condition.
Researchers aimed to determine if they could surpass the "subjective and manual" visual inspection method by developing a "deep learning" approach. artificial intelligence , or an AI tool capable of evaluating "basic selfies." This new algorithm was trained using 59,000 images.
"Our research has demonstrated for the first time that we can genuinely utilize AI to transform a selfie into an actual source of aging biomarkers," stated Dr. Hugo Aerts, who is the corresponding author of the paper.
He mentioned that the instrument is inexpensive, reusable, and capable of monitoring an individual’s biological age over periods ranging from months to years and even decades.
"The effect can be significant since we now possess an easy method to consistently track a patient’s health condition over time. This capability might assist us in more accurately predicting the likelihood of mortality or complications following procedures such as major surgeries or other forms of treatment," he explained.
Academics demonstrated the use of the tool by analyzing and explaining how it determined the biological ages of actors Paul Rudd and Wilford Brimley using their photos at age 50.
Rudd’s biological age was determined to be 42.6 years old, whereas Brimley, who passed away in 2020, had a biological age estimated at 69 years.
The recent research, featured in the journal Lancet Digital Health, involved the utilization of this tool on numerous cancer patients. The FaceAge model was employed for analyzing images from over 6,200 patients diagnosed with cancer at the beginning of their treatments.
The researchers discovered that the biological age of cancer patients was typically about five years older compared to their chronological age.
They discovered that higher FaceAge values correlated with poorer survival rates among cancer patients, particularly in individuals whose FaceAge exceeded 85 years.
The authors concluded: "Our findings indicate that a deep learning model has the capability to assess biological age through facial images, which could consequently improve survival predictions for cancer patients."
Dr Ray Mak, who was one of the senior authors on the study, commented, "Our work shows that AI has the potential to transform even basic processes." face photo Into an unbiased indicator of biological age that doctors can utilize to tailor patient care, similar to incorporating additional vital signs data."
He mentioned it as "yet another part of the puzzle, similar to vitals, laboratory results, or diagnostic images".
He stated: "It's important for us to clarify that we see AI tools such as FaceAge as aids providing decision support rather than substitutes for clinicians' judgments."
Several ongoing investigations into FaceAge are exploring additional applications beyond current uses, as well as examining how factors such as plastic surgery or treatments like Botox might affect the precision of this technology.
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