Merios
The science · Long read

Blood, read asa system.

Merios turns 150+ peer-reviewed biomarkers into a single composite score and a biological-age estimate, grounded in the preventive-medicine literature. This page is the full argument — the model, the markers, the references, and the advisors who reviewed it.

Markers
150+
Pillars
4
Advisors
MD · PhD
Updated
Apr 2026
01 · Thesis

A biomarker in isolation is almost always misleading.

The signal lives in the system — in convergence, trajectory, and time. A single composite is how clinicians already think; it is how consumer health finally should.
Merios — Scientific thesis

Why single markers fail.

A normal LDL with a high Apo-B is not normal. An in-range HbA1c with elevated fasting insulin is not in range. Reference intervals are defined against a population that is itself largely metabolically unwell1— so normal flags are a low bar, not a goal.

Why a composite works.

Composite indices reduce noise, capture system-level risk, and track meaningful change over time. They are the statistical spine of landmark work on biological age and cardiometabolic risk stratification2. Merios is built on that foundation.

03 · The Blood pillar

Eleven blood systems,
one composite signal.

Within the Blood pillar, Merios reads eleven biomarker systems the way a clinician reads a panel — as a network, not a list.

  • 01

    Heart & Cardiovascular

    Apo-B, Lp(a), LDL particle number, homocysteine, lipid sub-fractions.

  • 02

    Metabolism & Glucose

    Fasting glucose, HbA1c, fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, C-peptide.

  • 03

    Inflammation & Immunity

    hs-CRP, IL-6, ferritin, fibrinogen, WBC differential, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio.

  • 04

    Hematology

    Full CBC, RBC indices (MCV, MCH, RDW), hemoglobin, platelet count.

  • 05

    Liver

    ALT, AST, GGT, ALP, total and direct bilirubin, albumin, total protein.

  • 06

    Kidney & Electrolytes

    Creatinine, cystatin-C, eGFR, urea, sodium, potassium, chloride, uric acid.

  • 07

    Hormonal

    Testosterone (total and free), estradiol, SHBG, DHEA-S, cortisol, prolactin.

  • 08

    Thyroid

    TSH, free T4, free T3, reverse T3, anti-TPO, anti-thyroglobulin antibodies.

  • 09

    Vitamins & Minerals

    25-OH Vitamin D, B12, folate, magnesium, zinc, selenium, iron panel.

  • 10

    Performance & Recovery

    Creatine kinase, lactate, omega-3 index, IGF-1, vitamin D status.

  • 11

    Autoimmune & Systemic

    ANA, anti-CCP, rheumatoid factor, complement (C3/C4), ESR.

03 · The model

Four pillars, one score.

Every marker is weighted inside a pillar; pillars aggregate into a single composite on a 0–100 scale. The pillars are designed to be independently auditable so clinicians can see exactly where the score comes from.

Four health pillars converging into a single composite score.Diagram showing four columns labelled Metabolic, Cardiovascular, Hormonal and Inflammation converging into a central composite node labelled Composite Score, with a biological age estimate branching out below.01Metabolic02Cardiovascular03Hormonal04InflammationMERIOS82+ Biological age delta
Fig. 1 · Composite aggregation — illustrative
04 · Biological age

The number you can actually move.

Merios estimates biological age from a validated subset of the panel, inspired by the Levine PhenoAge framework3. The delta — chronological minus biological — is a tractable target: most markers respond to intervention within 90 days.

Chronological

Years, calendar

Biological

Years, estimated — illustrative

Delta · percentile

Top 18% in cohort — illustrative band

Trajectory · 18 monthsIllustrative
05 · Reviewed by

Reviewed by clinicians.

The methodology, thresholds and literature base of Merios will be reviewed by practising clinicians and researchers ahead of public launch. No single-person decisions; every scoring rule survives a three-reviewer sign-off.

  • Clinical Advisory Board, MD · PhD

    Engagement open — 2026

    Our scoring rules, reference intervals and methodology will be reviewed by a panel of practising clinicians and researchers before public launch. Three-reviewer sign-off is required for any scoring change. Named members will be announced ahead of release.

    Merios

06 · References

Literature informing the model.

An editorial selection — not an exhaustive bibliography. Numbers match the superscripts used throughout this page.

  1. Rose G. Sick individuals and sick populations. International Journal of Epidemiology (1985).

  2. Sniderman A. D. et al. Apolipoprotein B particles and cardiovascular disease: a narrative review. JAMA Cardiology (2019).

  3. Levine M. E. et al. An epigenetic biomarker of aging for lifespan and healthspan (PhenoAge). Aging (2018).

  4. Lauer M. S., D'Agostino R. B. The randomized registry trial — the next disruptive technology in clinical research? New England Journal of Medicine (2013).

  5. Taddei S. et al. Inflammation, oxidative stress, and endothelial dysfunction in cardiometabolic disease. The Lancet (2019).

  6. Després J.-P. Body fat distribution and risk of cardiovascular disease: an update. Circulation (2012).

  7. Horvath S. DNA methylation age of human tissues and cell types. Genome Biology (2013).

  8. Ridker P. M. et al. Antiinflammatory therapy with canakinumab for atherosclerotic disease (CANTOS). New England Journal of Medicine (2017).

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