Buck Institute and Oracle Develop Vitality Score

The partnership uses longitudinal health data to identify biomarkers of age-related decline before symptoms emerge.

Updated on Oct. 30, 2026 in Wellness

Isometric editorial illustration of two intersecting geometric lattice structures, representing the mapping of biological health data. — The Buck Institute and Oracle are partnering to develop an Intrinsic Capacity Score that identifies early-stage biomarkers for age-related physical and cognitive decline. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The Buck Institute is partnering with Oracle to create an early-warning vitality score designed to predict long-term health outcomes. The project is part of a federally funded effort to identify indicators of physical and cognitive decline.

Why it matters

Identifying biomarkers for age-related decline before symptoms appear is difficult due to a current lack of reliable surrogate markers. This research aims to fill that gap by mapping indicators across cognition, locomotion, and sensory domains.

The Oracle Life Sciences Data Intelligence platform provides access to more than 122 million de-identified longitudinal real-world data records. The THRIVE consortium received up to $34.5 million in funding from ARPA-H to support these research efforts.

The players

Buck Institute

This independent research organization focuses exclusively on the biology of aging and its related diseases.

Oracle

This global technology corporation provides the cloud-based Life Sciences Data Intelligence platform used for medical research.

ARPA-H

The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health is a federal agency that funds high-impact research to improve health outcomes.

The details

Researchers are utilizing automated feature selection to scan de-identified longitudinal records for patterns linked to intrinsic capacity. The team ultimately plans to seek FDA qualification for the Intrinsic Capacity Score and develop an at-home kit for tracking health changes.

The Buck Institute and Oracle announced their partnership on October 30, 2026.
The project aims to forecast major health outcomes up to 20 years in advance.

The Big Picture

This project operates within the framework of the ARPA-H PROSPR program, which focuses on preventative health diagnostics. It represents a shift from reactive care toward predictive models that leverage large-scale longitudinal datasets to map intrinsic capacity.

While the technology is currently in development, the project could eventually lead to at-home testing kits for early detection of health decline. This would allow individuals to monitor their vitality scores and proactively address age-related issues before they become symptomatic.

The takeaway

Early detection of health decline is a critical area for improving long-term well-being and life expectancy. Individuals interested in tracking their own health should discuss existing baseline screenings with their primary care providers until these predictive tools become widely available.