Beyond Genetics: Nikolina Lauc on Glycans, Biological Age, and the Hidden Language of Your Cells

Apr 30, 2025

41:40

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Welcome to The Superhumanize Podcast.

I’m your host, Ariane Sommer—and in this episode, we explore a frontier of health that’s been quietly shaping our biology all along: the world of glycans.

My guest is Nikolina Lauc, co-founder and CEO of GlycanAge—a pioneering biotech company using glycan biomarkers to measure biological age and predict long-term health outcomes. Her work is helping to shift the paradigm of aging from something we passively endure to something we can actively understand—and even influence.

We dive into what glycans are—these complex sugar molecules that modify proteins and silently direct processes like inflammation, immunity, and aging.

Nikolina explains how they reveal a layer of biological communication most of us have never heard of… and how listening to that hidden language can help us prevent disease years before it begins.

We also explore GlycanAge’s breakthrough menopause biomarker, their personalized approach to longevity, and what it means to raise awareness around women’s health in a data-driven age.

If you’ve ever wanted to go deeper than genetics—

If you’ve sensed there’s more to your body’s story than your DNA—

This episode may open a new door for you.

Episode highlights:

-What glycans are and why they matter more than genes alone

-How chronic inflammation predicts disease up to 10 years in advance

-The science behind GlycanAge's biological age test

-Why exercise and diet affect everyone differently

-The coming revolution in menopause diagnostics

-Metformin, biohacking, and the myth of one-size-fits-all longevity

-The future of personalized health data and ethical enhancement

Resources mentioned: