Terms & Conditions

1. Agreement to Terms

By accessing or using clockfoundation.org, the DNAmAge Calculator (dnamage.clockfoundation.org) or the Projects Portal (projects.clockfoundation.org) - together the "Services" - you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Services.

2. Who We Are

The Services are operated by the Epigenetic Clock Development Foundation, doing business as the Clock Foundation, a nonprofit research organization located at 1124 W. Carson St., MRL Building, 3rd Floor, Torrance, CA 90502.

3. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old to use the Services. By using them you represent that you meet this requirement and have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms. If you are using the Services for an institution, you represent that you are authorized to accept these Terms on its behalf.

4. Accounts

Some features require an account. You agree to:

• provide accurate, current and complete information;
• keep that information up to date;
• keep your password confidential and not share your credentials;
• tell us promptly of any unauthorized access; and
• accept responsibility for activity under your account.

We may suspend or close an account that violates these Terms, and we may withdraw access to the Projects Portal where continued access is not appropriate.

5. Your Research Data

5.1 Ownership

You keep ownership of the data and materials you submit - methylation datasets, sample sheets, project documentation and biological samples. Submitting them grants us only the licences described below. We keep ownership of our clocks, analysis methods and software, as set out in section 8.

5.2 Licence to deliver your work

You grant us the licence needed to run the analysis or service you requested, to operate and support the Services, and to meet our legal, tax and accounting obligations. We treat your submissions as confidential to you and your institution and will not share them outside the circumstances described in our Privacy Policy.

5.3 Research and publication licence

We are a nonprofit research organization. Our mission includes developing and validating epigenetic clocks and publishing what we learn. You therefore grant us a perpetual, royalty-free, non-exclusive licence to retain and use your submitted data in de-identified form to:

• develop, train, validate and improve epigenetic clocks and analysis methods;
• include it in aggregate reference datasets; and
• publish aggregate, comparative or methodological findings derived from it.

This licence is subject to the following limits:

• We will not publish data that identifies an individual human subject.
• We will not name you or your institution in a publication without your written permission.
• Your right to publish first is protected. We will not publish findings specific to your study until you have published it, or until 12 months after we deliver your results, whichever comes first.
• We do not sell or license your data to third parties.

5.4 Your approvals and consents

You are responsible for ensuring you hold the rights, approvals and ethics or IRB clearances needed to submit your materials and to grant the licences above, including any consents required from the people or institutions the samples came from. Tell us before submitting if your approvals restrict any of the uses in section 5.3, so we can agree appropriate terms.

5.5 A Research Services Agreement takes precedence

These Terms are our default. Where you and the Foundation enter into a separate signed agreement covering a project - a Research Services Agreement, Data Use Agreement, Material Transfer Agreement, sponsored research agreement or similar - that agreement governs to the extent it conflicts with this section or with any other part of these Terms. If your institution needs different data, publication or confidentiality terms, contact us and we will put an agreement in place.

6. Projects, Quotes and Payment

• Prices are quoted in US dollars and confirmed in a written quote or invoice before work begins.
• A quote reflects the platform, sample count and services specified at the time; a material change to any of these may change the price.
• Turnaround estimates are estimates, not guarantees. Samples are processed in batches, and timing depends on batch composition, array availability and sample quality.
• Optional DNAmAge Calculator analysis upgrades are one-off purchases processed by Stripe. There are no recurring subscriptions.
• Invoices are payable on the terms stated on the invoice.
• We may decline or stop work where samples fail quality control, where required approvals are missing, or where an account is in arrears.

7. Research Use Only

You acknowledge that:

• the Services do not replace professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment;
• a qualified healthcare provider should be consulted before any health decision;
• epigenetic age estimates are algorithmic and are not definitive measures of health; and
• we are not responsible for health decisions made on the basis of results.

8. Our Intellectual Property

The Services and their content, features, software, algorithms, text, graphics and logos are owned by the Epigenetic Clock Development Foundation or its licensors and are protected by intellectual property law. You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, reverse engineer or create derivative works from them without our written permission. Nothing in section 5 transfers ownership of our clocks or analysis methods to you.

9. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• use the Services for any unlawful purpose;
• attempt to gain unauthorized access to any system, account or data;
• access data belonging to another researcher or institution;
• interfere with or disrupt the Services;
• submit false or misleading information;
• share account credentials; or
• use automated systems to access the Services except through an API key we issued you.

10. Privacy

Our Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use and protect information, and forms part of these Terms.

11. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Services are provided "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE", without warranties of any kind, express or implied. We do not warrant that the Services will be uninterrupted, secure, error-free, or that results will be accurate or complete.

12. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Foundation and its officers, directors, employees and agents are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, including loss of profits, data or other intangible losses, arising from your use of or inability to use the Services, any health decision made on the basis of results, unauthorized access to data, errors in results, or the conduct of any third party. Our total liability is capped at the amounts you paid us in the twelve months before the claim, or $100 if you paid nothing.

13. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Epigenetic Clock Development Foundation and its affiliates from any claims, damages, losses or expenses arising from your use of the Services, your submitted materials, or your violation of these Terms.

14. Dispute Resolution

Please contact us first - most issues are resolved quickly and informally. Any dispute arising from these Terms is governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict of laws rules.

15. Changes and Termination

We may modify these Terms. For material changes we will give 30 days' notice by email or through the Services, and continued use afterwards means you accept the updated Terms. We may suspend or terminate access for violation of these Terms, after which your right to use the Services ends immediately. Sections 5, 8, 11, 12 and 13 survive termination.

16. Contact

Epigenetic Clock Development Foundation (Clock Foundation)
1124 W. Carson St., MRL Building, 3rd Floor
Torrance, CA 90502
Email: info@clockfoundation.org
Phone: (866) 366-2001