suPARnostic® in longevity

suPARnostic® by ViroGates

ABOUT SUPAR

A new clinical lens on aging

Longevity is not just about living longer – it’s about maintaining healthspan; the years of life spent in good health, free from chronic disease and functional decline.

Clinics and healthcare providers worldwide are embracing tools that help their clients postpone disease onset, optimize lifestyle choices, and improve biological resilience.

Among these tools, suPAR is emerging as a transformative biomarker – providing early, actionable insight into the body’s chronic inflammatory state.

suPAR: A biomarker of chronic inflammation

Chronic inflammation plays a central role in aging and the onset of age-related diseases. suPAR (soluble urokinase Plasminogen Activator Receptor) is a stable plasma biomarker of this chronic inflammation (1).

Elevated suPAR levels indicate ongoing disease processes that can develop into major diseases, such as cancer (2,3), diabetes (2), organ failure (4,5), and/or cardiovascular disease (6). suPAR serves as an early warning signal that allows for timely interventions and prevention of disease progression. Maintaining a low suPAR level is therefore essential to promote long-term health and extend healthspan.

“suPAR informs on the general health of an individual. Is everything OK or should something be changed?”

Jesper Eugen-Olsen,

Chief Scientific Officer, ViroGates

BIOLOGICAL AGE

What is the expected suPAR level of an individual?

suPAR increases naturally with age, but the rise is significantly accelerated in individuals with unhealthy lifestyles (7). Additionally, there are gender differences in suPAR levels – women typically have higher levels than men until their mid-70s (8). Because suPAR is closely associated with the pace of aging, it can be used as a foundation for estimating biological age (9).

To make this actionable, we developed the suPAR Biological Age Calculator, based on suPAR measurements from over 9,000 healthy Danish blood donors and elderly individuals (7,8,9). This tool enables healthcare professionals to input a patient or client’s gender, age, and suPAR level, providing a calculated biological age and rate of aging in return.

suPAR Biological Age Calculator

Key study insight: Elevated suPAR and accelerated aging

A groundbreaking study on suPAR as a longevity biomarker was published by the Moffitt & Caspi group in 2021. Utilizing the famous Dunedin cohort, the group measured suPAR at ages 38 and 45 (9). The results were striking.

The researchers found that elevated suPAR was associated with:

Accelerated aging across multiple organ systems
Older facial appearance, as rated by independent panels
Structural signs of older brain age as determined using MRI
Greater decline in cognitive function
Multiple indicators of worsened functional capacity, including more physical limitations, poorer balance, weakened grip strength, and slower gait speed.

Importantly, improvements in health habits between ages 38 and 45, like quitting smoking or increasing physical activity, were associated with slower increases in suPAR over time.

The researchers proposed that an assessment of suPAR in midlife creates an opportunity for prevention, as individuals with elevated suPAR are at increased risk of developing diseases and are even at risk of dying within the next 10 years. (9)

INTERPRETATION

Lifestyle and suPAR

Unlike many other biomarkers, suPAR levels are remarkably stable in that they are not influenced by circadian rhythms or minor infections. Instead, suPAR levels provides a reliable measure of the body’s long-term inflammatory activity and the cumulative impact of lifestyle and health behaviors.

suPAR levels tend to improve and remain lower in response to healthy lifestyle choices, such as:

Non-smoking

Smoking is one of the strongest inducers of chronic inflammation. In a cross-sectional study, the difference in suPAR levels between daily smokers and never smokers was 1 ng/ml, corresponding to 5 years in biological age (2). Individuals who smoke with elevated suPAR levels have an increased risk of developing e.g. lung cancer, compared to individuals who smoke with a low suPAR level (2,3). Following smoking cessation, suPAR decreases within the following 4 weeks (10).

Well-balanced, good nutrition

There is a linear association between diet and suPAR levels (5). To address the influence of diet on the biological age, data on Dietary Quality Score- 9 and their corresponding suPAR levels in 5349 individuals was analyzed (11). A linear relationship between diet quality and suPAR levels was observed. The difference in biological age between those who had the least healthy diet compared to those with the healthiest diet was 4 years.

Regular physical activity

A cross-sectional study including 3225 healthy individuals with a mean age of 46 years, it was observed that having a low level of daily activity resulted in an increased mean biological age by over 1 year, when compared to an average activity level (light). On the contrary, those with a high level of activity had lowered biological age by almost 3 years (12).

Resilience and stress management

Interestingly, chronic inflammation, as reflected in increased suPAR, is already increased at age 18 in children who have been exposed to adverse experiences, stress, and violence during childhood (13). Also, stressful events such as divorce, homelessness, being fired, death of a close relative, serious financial problems, physical or sexual attack or being jailed add to the suPAR level, with more events, the higher the suPAR (14).

Strong social connections

suPAR is a sensitive and stable biomarker compared to other markers of chronic inflammation such as IL-6 and hsCRP (1) and therefore also captures risks that are more settle in nature, such as loneliness, social isolation, stress, and adverse events in childhood. E.g., it has been shown that loneliness and social isolation is associated increased risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality (Ref Yang Z, and ref Meng A). This increased risk of loneliness and social isolation was not reflected in CRP or IL-6 levels but was reflected in increased suPAR levels (14).

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

A distinctive edge in a growing market

In a market flooded with generic wellness claims, differentiation is key. With suPAR, you get the opportunity to:

Position your clinic as a first mover with a scientifically validated biomarker of chronic inflammation.
Deliver more personalized guidance by tracking chronic inflammation.
Motivate clients to improve biological age through targeted lifestyle interventions and follow-ups.
Simple to interpret for both clinics and clients.

suPAR helps your clinic move beyond promises, offering a clear, measurable indicator of health and prognosis that responds to lifestyle changes and inspires clients to take action.

Download our two-pager

explaining the benefits of offering suPAR measurements to individuals in your clinic.

Download longevity two-pager

IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE

Easy to adopt, flexible to run

Getting started with suPAR is simple and fits seamlessly into your clinic’s operations. You can begin by:

Running the test in-house with CE-IVD certified assays on major analyzers (e.g. Abbott, Siemens, Roche)
Using an external partner lab, either your current one or one recommended by ViroGates
Choosing the format that works best for your workflow: Turbidimetric or ELISA
Receiving full onboarding support, including training, setup, and clinical best practices
Accessing optional reporting software for suPAR level and biological age with white-label solutions
Integrating suPAR into routine panels (e.g. CRP, lipid, or metabolic markers) without replacing existing tests

suPAR integrates smoothly – enhancing patient care and expanding your biomarker portfolio without disruption.

Trusted by researchers & clinicians worldwide

Validated in 1,000+ peer-reviewed publications
Used in longitudinal studies (e.g. Dunedin) linking it to real-world aging outcomes
Already implemented in decision-making at hospitals, longevity, and health clinics
Supports personalized interventions, not one-size-fits-all coaching

References

Bourassa KJ, Rasmussen LJH, Danese A, Eugen-Olsen J, Harrington H, Houts R, Poulton R, Ramrakha S, Sugden K, Williams B, Moffitt TE, Caspi A. Linking stressful life events and chronic inflammation using suPAR (soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor). Brain Behav Immun. 2021 Oct;97:79-88.
Eugen-Olsen J, Andersen O, Linneberg A, Ladelund S, Hansen TW, Langkilde A, Petersen J, Pielak T, Møller LN, Jeppesen J, Lyngbaek S, Fenger M, Olsen MH, Hildebrandt PR, Borch-Johnsen K, Jørgensen T, Haugaard SB. Circulating soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor predicts cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and mortality in the general population. J Intern Med. 2010 Sep;268(3):296-308.
Eugen-Olsen J, Ladelund S, Sørensen LT. Plasma suPAR is lowered by smoking cessation: a randomized controlled study. Eur J Clin Invest. 2016 Apr;46(4):305-11.
Haupt TH, Rasmussen LJH, Kallemose T, Ladelund S, Andersen O, Pisinger C, Eugen-Olsen J. Healthy lifestyles reduce suPAR and mortality in a Danish general population study. Immun Ageing. 2019 Jan 22;16:1.
Hayek SS, Sever S, Ko YA, Trachtman H, Awad M, Wadhwani S, Altintas MM, Wei C, Hotton AL, French AL, Sperling LS, Lerakis S, Quyyumi AA, Reiser J. Soluble Urokinase Receptor and Chronic Kidney Disease. N Engl J Med. 2015 Nov 12;373(20):1916-25.
Hindy G, Tyrrell DJ, Vasbinder A, Wei C, Presswalla F, Wang H, Blakely P, Ozel AB, Graham S, Holton GH, Dowsett J, Fahed AC, Amadi KM, Erne GK, Tekmulla A, Ismail A, Launius C, Sotoodehnia N, Pankow JS, Thørner LW, Erikstrup C, Pedersen OB, Banasik K, Brunak S, Ullum H, Eugen-Olsen J, Ostrowski SR; DBDS Consortium; Haas ME, Nielsen JB, Lotta LA; Regeneron Genetics Center; Engström G, Melander O, Orho-Melander M, Zhao L, Murthy VL, Pinsky DJ, Willer CJ, Heckbert SR, Reiser J, Goldstein DR, Desch KC, Hayek SS. Increased soluble urokinase plasminogen activator levels modulate monocyte function to promote atherosclerosis. J Clin Invest. 2022 Dec 15;132(24):e158788.
Persson M, Östling G, Smith G, Hamrefors V, Melander O, Hedblad B, Engström G. Soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor: a risk factor for carotid plaque, stroke, and coronary artery disease. Stroke. 2014 Jan;45(1):18-23.
Rasmussen LJH, Caspi A, Ambler A, Danese A, Elliott M, Eugen-Olsen J, Hariri AR, Harrington H, Houts R, Poulton R, Ramrakha S, Sugden K, Williams B, Moffitt TE. Association Between Elevated suPAR, a New Biomarker of Inflammation, and Accelerated Aging. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2021 Jan 18;76(2):318-327.
Rasmussen LJH, Moffitt TE, Arseneault L, Danese A, Eugen-Olsen J, Fisher HL, Harrington H, Houts R, Matthews T, Sugden K, Williams B, Caspi A. Association of Adverse Experiences and Exposure to Violence in Childhood and Adolescence With Inflammatory Burden in Young People. JAMA Pediatr. 2020 Jan 1;174(1):38-47.
Rasmussen LJH, Petersen JEV, Eugen-Olsen J. Soluble Urokinase Plasminogen Activator Receptor (suPAR) as a Biomarker of Systemic Chronic Inflammation. Front Immunol. 2021 Dec 2;12:780641.
Tavenier J, Rasmussen LJH, Tolstrup J, Petersen J, Sobocki J, Pisinger C, Eugen-Olsen J, Gamst-Jensen H. Self-rated health and chronic inflammation are related and independently associated with hospitalization and long-term mortality in the general population. Sci Rep. 2022 Nov 17;12(1):19761.
Thunø M, Macho B, Eugen-Olsen J. suPAR: the molecular crystal ball. Dis Markers. 2009;27(3):157-72.
Törnkvist PBS, Haupt TH, Rasmussen LJH, Ladelund S, Toft U, Pisinger C, Eugen-Olsen J. Soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor is linearly associated with dietary quality and predicts mortality. Br J Nutr. 2019 Mar;121(6):699-708

Testimonials

“In our Healthspan Longevity and Lifestyle Medicine Unit and the LongCOVID Unit at Blue Healthcare, we have incorporated the soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) test as a key biomarker to assess inflammatory risk and accelerated aging. This approach allows us to personalize preventive and therapeutic strategies, enhancing long-term health and post-COVID sequelae management.”

Dr. Francisco Mera

Head of the Longevity Area – Long Covid and Post-Viral Syndromes Unit at Blue Healthcare

“At Chenot, we use suPAR as an advanced biomarker to detect chronic systemic inflammation, offering deep insights into biological aging and cellular senescence. It’s a powerful tool to personalize and optimize longevity strategies.”

Dr George Gaitanos

Chief Operating & Scientific Officer at the Chenot Group

Read 1000+ published suPAR studies in leading medical journals

The suPARnostic® brand consists of three products:

Quick Triage

A Point of Care Solution

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Turbi-Latex

For Automated Systems

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ELISA Assay

Clinical and Research

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