Cheek swabs, epigenetic clocks, and kids

Cheek swabs are easy to collect, but the science behind them is anything but simple. In this episode, Dr. Sarah Merrill and Dr. Chaini Konwar discuss how the proportion of cells collected from cheek swabs — buccal epithelial cells — change with age and why this matters for pediatric epigenetics.  Learn how these changes impact biomarker accuracy, epigenetic clocks like PedBE, and our understanding of child development and health risks. For scientists and curious minds alike, the episode explores how cheek swabs — from infancy through adolescence — can help us better track, understand, and support children's health over time.  Learn more about topics discussed in this episode: Impact of age-related changes in buccal epithelial cells on pediatric epigenetic biomarker research (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-55909-8) , Nature Communications All episodes written and produced by the Research Communications team at BC Children's Hospital Research Institute (https://www.bcchr.ca/) . Theme music: "Life Is Beautiful" by Anastasia Kir