What if your biological age is hiding the one organ that matters most? In this episode of The DNA of Things, Dr. Jeremy Koenig sits down with Paul Coletta, Co-Founder and CEO of Vero Bioscience, to explore a new approach to predictive health built around proteomics and organ-specific aging. Paul shares how his own organ-age test flagged his kidney as years older than his chronological age despite normal traditional labs, ultimately leading to the discovery of a renal cyst. They unpack why different organs age at different rates, how Vero’s OrganAge™ uses thousands of circulating proteins and machine learning to identify early signals, and why the future of health may depend less on a single “biological age” and more on finding your weakest link before disease takes hold.

Key Takeaways

• 🧬 You aren't one biological age. Your brain, heart, kidneys, immune system, and other organs can age at different rates, making a whole-body age score potentially less actionable.
• 🩸 Paul's test changed his career. His kidney came back roughly seven years older than his chronological age despite normal traditional kidney labs. A follow-up ultrasound found a large renal cyst, which was benign.
• 🔬 Proteins provide a real-time window into biology. Vero's current OrganAge™ approach analyzes 11,000+ proteins from a blood draw and uses machine learning to identify organ-specific aging patterns.
• 🧠 Brain aging carries serious predictive information. In the 2025 UK Biobank study, an especially aged brain was associated with a 3.1x hazard of Alzheimer's disease, while youthful brain and immune-system profiles were associated with lower mortality risk.
• 🔄 Paul wants health tools to “close the loop.” His model is simple: measure the signal, make a targeted intervention, then retest to see whether the biology actually changed.
• 💰 The goal is healthcare, not “wealthcare.” Paul says today's broad proteomic assays are too expensive for mass adoption, and Vero is working toward a smaller focused protein panel that could dramatically reduce costs. The proposed future pricing discussed in the episode remains a company target, not a verified current consumer price.
• 🩺 Clinicians stay in the loop. Vero is currently working through clinical partners, including a new six-month study with Biograph comparing OrganAge™ with imaging, VO2 max, DEXA, clinical labs, and intervention outcomes.
• 💃 Healthspan is ultimately personal. Paul closes with the story of dancing with his grandmother around her 100th birthday, a reminder that the goal isn't simply adding years. It's staying healthy enough to live them.

CONNECT WITH PAUL + VERO

Learn more about Vero Bioscience / join the waitlist →
https://verobioscience.com/?utm_source=the_dna_of_things&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=podcast_collective&utm_content=paul_coletta

Paul on LinkedIn →
https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulcoletta/
Vero on LinkedIn →
https://www.linkedin.com/company/vero-bioscience

LINKS:

https://www.drjeremykoenig.com/
https://www.instagram.com/drjeremykoenig/
https://www.youtube.com/@drjeremykoenig

Here's the link for this week's episode: https://drjeremykoenig.substack.com/.