Photo of Chia-Ling  Kuo, PhD

Chia-Ling Kuo, PhD

Associate Professor
The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering
Department of Public Health Sciences, UConn Health
Co-Leader, UConn Pepper Center Data Resource Core
Academic Office Location:
UConn Health
195 Farmington Avenue
Farmington, CT 06032
Email: kuo@uchc.edu
Website(s):

Decoding Aging Lab

Welcome to Decoding Aging Lab: Biomarkers of Aging & Drug Repurposing

https://willowy-fox-d15af2.netlify.app

I am a biostatistician by training, with a research focus on aging, particularly biomarkers of aging and drug repurposing. As an NIH-funded investigator, I have an established track record of research funding and publications. My work has investigated genes and biomarkers associated with aging, including APOE, SH2B3, and telomere length.

My research focuses on aging biomarker development and applications. In parallel, I investigate the potential of repurposing FDA-approved drugs to target fundamental biological processes of aging and promote healthy longevity.

My research draws extensively on data from the UK Biobank and U.S.-based population cohorts. I welcome opportunities for collaboration to broaden the scope and impact of my research, particularly through interdisciplinary partnerships and access to additional population-based cohorts.

Selected Publications

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=%28Chia-Ling+Kuo%5BAuthor%5D%29+AND+%28UConn%5BAffiliation%5D%29&sort=date

Zhao S, Kuo CL, Lenze EJ, Wetherell JL, Haynes L, El-Ahmad P, Fortinsky R, Kuchel G, Harris T, Diniz BS. A Deep-Learning Based Biomarker of Systemic Cellular Senescence Burden to Predict Mortality and Health Outcomes. Aging Cell. 2026 Oct;25(10):e70737. doi: 10.1111/acel.70737. PMID: 42791602; PMCID: PMC13615172.

Kuo CL, Liu P, Drouard G, Vuoksimaa E, Kaprio J, Ollikainen M, Chen Z, Pilling LC, Atkins JL, Fortinsky RH, Kuchel GA, Diniz BS. A proteomic signature of healthspan. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2025 Jun 10;122(23):e2414086122. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2414086122. Epub 2025 Jun 6. Erratum in: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2025 Aug 19;122(33):e2520058122. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2520058122. PMID: 40478878; PMCID: PMC12168021.

Kuo CL, Chen Z, Liu P, Pilling LC, Atkins JL, Fortinsky RH, Kuchel GA, Diniz BS. Proteomic aging clock (PAC) predicts age-related outcomes in middle-aged and older adults. Aging Cell. 2024 Aug;23(8):e14195. doi: 10.1111/acel.14195. Epub 2024 May 15. PMID: 38747160; PMCID: PMC11320350.

Diniz BS, Chen Z, Steffens DC, Pilling L, Nikolova Y, Clifford K, Fortinsky RH, Kuchel GA, Kuo CL. Proteogenomic signature of Alzheimer's disease and related dementia risk in individuals with major depressive disorder. Nat Ment Health. 2025 Aug;3(8):879-888. doi: 10.1038/s44220-025-00460-0. Epub 2025 Jul 14. PMID: 40823340; PMCID: PMC12356225.

Diniz BS, Zhao S, Drouard G, Vuoksimaa E, Ollikainen M, Lenze EJ, Xu M, Fortinsky RH, Kuchel GA, Kaprio J, Kuo CL. Biological Aging Acceleration in Major Depressive Disorder: A Multi-Omics Analysis. Aging Cell. 2025 Dec 4:e70310. doi: 10.1111/acel.70310. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41342072.

Liu R, Xiang M, Pilling LC, Melzer D, Wang L, Manning KJ, Steffens DC, Bowden J, Fortinsky RH, Kuchel GA, Rhee TG, Diniz BS, Kuo CL. Mid-life leukocyte telomere length and dementia risk: An observational and mendelian randomization study of 435,046 UK Biobank participants. Aging Cell. 2023 Jul;22(7):e13808. doi: 10.1111/acel.13808. Epub 2023 May 30. PMID: 37254630; PMCID: PMC10352557.

Education
DegreeInstitutionMajor
BBANational Chengchi UniversityStatistics
MSNational Taiwan UniversityBiostatistics, Statistical Genetics
PhDUniversity of PittsburghBiostatistics, Statistical Genetics

Post-Graduate Training
TrainingInstitutionSpecialty
PostdoctoralNational Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)Research Fellow

Awards
Name of Award/HonorAwarding Organization
Accredited Professional Statistician (2014-present)American Statistical Association
Name & DescriptionCategoryRoleTypeScopeStart YearEnd Year
Nature MedicineEditorial BoardStatistical AdvisorExternalInternational2026
NIH - ASGStudy SectionAd Hoc ReviewerExternalNational2026
NIH - CDBAStudy SectionAd Hoc ReviewerExternalNational2026
Journal of Applied GerontologyEditorial BoardStatistical AdvisorExternalInternational2022
Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health DisparitiesEditorial BoardStatistical ReviewerUConn HealthInternational2017

Journal Articles

Book Chapters

Case Reports

Letters

Reviews