Smith (1962) described the ageing processes as “those which render individuals more susceptible as they grow older to the various factors, intrinsic or extrinsic, which may cause death.” This allows us to ponder upon what those factors might be. However, the wording seems to indicate the homeostatic state of the subject whereas we increasingly recognise specific diseases and syndromes that appear to influence the ageing process, many of which are now susceptible to treatment.

One could take the more passive view of Castle and McCrae (1995) who suggest that “ageing is what happens to an organism over time” However for an individual whose wellbeing is at risk we would argue in favour of trying to identify and repair the ageing processes noted by Smith.

Hence our approach has been to look at a large number of biological markers and through the process of computation and pattern definition identify the key 30 or so markers that reliably indicate age. From this platform we can now screen individuals not only for how they match up chronologically to these marker projections, but also biologically from the individual and pattern defining markers, to show where an individual may be developing potential lifetime reducing problems. With this knowledge we can suggest how an individual can harness this information to improve their future, by changes in lifestyle, diet or therapy and monitor the impact of these, or by seeking medical specialist advice where appropriate.