This past month, we’ve covered plenty of esearch news and information about conferences, but now we have some news of our own. Here’s what’s been happening in the rejuvenation biotechnology world.
LEAF News
Lifespan.io and SENS Research Foundation Unite to Launch a New Powerhouse in Aging Research: Today, we and SENS Research Foundation are excited to announce the completion of their merger, forming a new 501(c)(3) non-profit: Lifespan Research Institute.
Interviews
I Dined with Bryan Johnson and Didn’t Die: Don’t Die is a concept or philosophy that Bryan has been developing. It shares some premises with Ray Kurzweil’s theory of singularity, which states that due to the ever-increasing pace of technological progress, a future is near that is completely unimaginable – and hence, unpredictable from our current standpoint.
Advocacy and Analysis
NILAR: A4LI’s Response to NIH Reform Proposal: The longevity advocacy and lobbying group has submitted detailed feedback to the congressional proposal to replace NIA with the National Institute on Dementia – and now you can sign the petition.
Less Talk, More Work: Foresight/LBF Longevity Workshop 2024: When Foresight Institute and Longevity Biotech Fellowship joined forces, a one-of-a-kind longevity event emerged. Foresight Institute has been perfecting the workshop formula for years. According to Foresight CEO Allison Duettmann, it’s been quite successful, with numerous ideas, which were originally thrown around at workshops, becoming projects and getting funded.
For the 11th Year in Copenhagen: Highlights from ARDD 2024: The Copenhagen-based Aging Research and Drug Discovery Meeting (ARDD) was already enormous, but at the dawn of its second decade, ARDD’s attendance of researchers, entrepreneurs, and enthusiasts grew even bigger and was sold out even sooner, solidifying its iconic status in the field.
Insights from the Roundtable of Longevity Clinics 2024: The quest to extend human lifespan and improve healthspan is advancing rapidly, and one of the most prestigious platforms for driving these discussions is the Roundtable of Longevity Clinics. This annual gathering brings together global experts to exchange knowledge on cutting-edge research, innovations, and regulatory strategies aimed at enhancing human longevity.
Research Roundup
Caffeic Acid Variant May Suppress Bone Deterioration: In Aging, researchers have described how a derivative of caffeic acid inhibits osteoclasts, the cells that break down bone, which may lead to a treatment for osteoporosis.
Combination Therapy Works Against Pancreatic Cancer in Mice: In a new study, a multi-prong treatment combined with a clever delivery method has shown promise against pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, one of the deadliest cancers.
Keto Diets May Help Cognitive Function in Alzheimer’s: The results of 10 independently conducted clinical trials suggest that ketogenic diets have a positive impact on the cognitive function of Alzheimer’s disease patients, offering a potential treatment addition for an incurable disease.
Targeting Senescent Cells by Their Surface Markers: New research in Aging Cell has suggested that targeting senescent cells based on their surface proteins (surfaceome) may be effective in dealing with them, as it makes drug development more feasible.
Associations Between Professional Sports and Longevity: A new study analyzed how being an elite athlete in various sports affects human lifespan. Some of the results were surprising and contradicted conventional wisdom.
Blocking a Dopamine Receptor May Improve Memory: Neurological researchers, in Aging Cell, have deepened our understanding of the brain, explaining how turning off a dopamine receptor may lead to better memory in older people.
Medium LDL Levels Associated With Lowest Mortality: A new observational study suggests that lower LDL cholesterol levels are not necessarily better. Instead, the ratio of triglycerides to HDL may be more important.
How Supplement Formulas, Including NOVOS, Affect Skin Aging: Researchers have tested several combinations of ingredients with anti-aging properties. Those combinations, including a 12-ingredient formulation created by NOVOS, helped to reduce DNA damage and oxidative stress in human skin cells in cultures.
A New Atlas for Cellular Rejuvenation: In Aging, researchers from Spain and Luxembourg have described the creation of Single-cell RNA-seq Investigation of Rejuvenation Agents and Longevity (SINGULAR), an atlas for cellular rejuvenation that describes how interventions affect individual cells.
Extracellular Vesicles to Fight Liver Fibrosis: Researchers have filled extracellular vesicles (EVs) with micro-RNA that is effective against liver fibrosis in mice and published their breakthrough in Aging Cell. EVs, which cells use to send chemical messages and packages to one another, are significantly affected by aging to the point that they have been used as biomarkers.
Light Pollution Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease Prevalence: Scientists have found a correlation between the intensity of nighttime outdoor lighting, which can disrupt sleep, and Alzheimer’s disease. Excessive levels of artificial outdoor light are called “light pollution” and have been linked to sleep disruption, obesity, depression, anxiety, memory dysfunction, atherosclerosis, and cancer.
Combining Treatments Against Multiple Hallmarks of Aging: Researchers have published a review of the current state of combination therapies that address multiple Hallmarks of Aging. Some of these combined therapies were found to induce greater lifespan extension than single treatments.
The Ventricles of the Heart Age Differently: In Aging Cell, researchers have published their findings on how the right ventricle of the heart ages differently from the left one. Research on aging has agreed that organs age differently, including all the arteries, brain tissue, muscles, and skin, along with all of the various digestive and maintenance organs, and this now includes the ventricles of the heart.
Axolotls’ Epigenetic Clocks Stop Ticking: In a preprint published in bioRxiv, researchers have published their findings in applying an epigenetic clock to the axolotl, a salamander species that does not age like humans. Axolotls, and salamanders more generally, are well-known for their regenerative capabilities, being able to grow back lost limbs.
The Greenland Shark’s Genome Reveals Clues to Its Longevity: Scientists have compiled the most complete genome ever of the Greenland shark, an exceptionally long-lived species. These sharks, giant, slow-moving abyss dwellers, hold the title of the longest-lived vertebrate at 400 years.
MSC Treatment Improves Age-Related Phenotypes in Rats: In a recent study, researchers injected rats with mesenchymal stromal cells. They observed improvements in aging-related biomarkers and phenotypes in many organs. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) can be obtained from diverse sources, including bone marrow, adipose tissue, perinatal tissue, and dental tissues.
Metformin Slows Aging in Non-Human Primates: In a new study, metformin, which has already shown good results in rodents and in human epidemiological studies, alleviated multiple signs of aging in male cynomolgus monkeys. Metformin, a well-established anti-diabetes drug, has been touted as a possible geroprotector since a study suggested that diabetes patients on metformin outlived age-matched healthy controls.
A Likely Beneficial Compound Also Predicts Mortality: Researchers publishing in Aging have found that fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), an apparently beneficial protein naturally produced by the human body, heralds a greater likelihood of death.
Reprogramming Senescent Cells Extends Lifespan in Mice: Dr. Belmonte’s group at Altos Labs targeted stressed and senescent cells with partial reprogramming, producing large increases in lifespan in male mice. Since the discovery of cellular reprogramming almost two decades ago, a lot of hopes have been put into this technology, and a lot of progress has been made.
A Bank of Centenarian Stem Cells: Researchers are keeping a bank of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from centenarians and their descendants. They describe the purpose of this bank and its uses in Aging Cell. Centenarians don’t merely live for a hundred years; they spend more time in good health (healthspan) than other people.
Study Suggests Mammals’ Lifespan Is Limited by Epigenetics: Juan José Alba-Linares and his research team have published a preprint study that examined why different animals age at different rates. They found that epigenetic changes over time could explain why some animals live longer and estimated an upper limit for mammalian lifespan.
How Lifesaving Treatments Can Cause Long-Term Harm: A research paper published in Aging explored a link between breast cancer, hematopoietic cell transplants (HCTs), an increase in physical frailty, and cellular senescence. HCTs and breast cancer treatment are lifesaving procedures. However, chemotherapy in breast cancer sharply increases p16INK4a, a key biomarker of cellular senescence, and HCT treatment accelerates aging.
Associations of daily eating frequency and nighttime fasting duration with biological aging in NHANES: Abnormally long fasting and fewer meals per day were associated with accelerated aging.
Association between plant and animal protein and biological aging: findings from the UK Biobank: Higher plant protein intake is inversely associated with biological aging. Although there is no association with animal protein, food with animal proteins displayed a varied correlation.
Intensity or volume: the role of physical activity in longevity: Intensity is a main driver of reduced mortality risk, suggesting that the intensity of activity, rather than the quantity, matters for longevity.
Optimal dose and type of exercise to improve cognitive function in patients with mild cognitive impairment: A network meta-analysis identified multi-component exercise as the most effective intervention for improving global cognitive and executive function in patients with mild cognitive impairment.
Hydrolyzed collagen supplementation prior to resistance exercise augments collagen synthesis: Ingesting 15g hydrolyzed collagen rescues the collagen synthesis response in middle-aged men, and 30g augments that response further.
A Natural Astragalus-Based Nutritional Supplement Lengthens Telomeres in a Middle-Aged Population: This supplement warrants further investigation for its potential benefits in promoting health, extending life expectancy, and supporting healthy aging.
A randomized, placebo-controlled trial of purified anthocyanins on cognitive function in individuals at elevated risk for dementia: Individuals with elevated levels of inflammation markers benefited from anthocyanin treatment to enhance cognitive performance, whereas those with lower levels did not.
Dose–response relationship of dietary Omega-3 fatty acids on slowing phenotypic age acceleration: This study highlights the potential role of dietary Omega-3 fatty acids in regulating age acceleration and supports the strategy of delaying aging through dietary interventions to increase Omega-3 intake.
Calorie restriction and rapamycin distinctly restore non-canonical ORF translation in the muscles of aging mice: The corresponding peptides may provide entry points for therapies aiming to maintain muscle function and extend healthspan.
Hyaluronan and proteoglycan link protein 1 – A novel signaling molecule for rejuvenating aged skin: rhHAPLN1 may act as a novel biomechanical signaling protein to rejuvenate aged skin.
Rejuvenation of aged oocyte through exposure to young follicular microenvironment: These findings provide the basis for a future follicular somatic cell-based therapy to treat female infertility.
E5 treatment showing improved health-span and lifespan in old Sprague Dawley rats: In conclusion, this unique ‘plasma-derived exosome’ treatment (E5) alone is adequate to improve the healthspan and extend the lifespan of the old SD rats significantly.
News Nuggets
Ora Biomedical Awarded Technology Development Grant: Ora Biomedical, Inc., a pioneering longevity biotechnology company, is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The $324,240 grant will support the development of EleGantry, an innovative software and hardware infrastructure to improve research quality.
Insilico Medicine Reports Positive Phase IIa Results for IPF: Insilico Medicine, a clinical-stage generative AI-driven drug discovery company, announced positive preliminary results from its Phase IIa clinical trial evaluating ISM001-055. ISM001-055 is a first-in-class small molecule targeting TNIK (Traf2- and Nck-interacting kinase) and was designed utilizing generative AI to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
Coming Up
Biomarkers of Aging Consortium Announces Second Conference: The Biomarkers of Aging Consortium is proud to announce its second annual Biomarkers of Aging Conference, scheduled for November 1-2, 2024, at the Joseph Martin Conference Center at Harvard Medical School. This event stands as the premier conference dedicated to all aspects of biomarkers of aging, bringing together the brightest minds in the field.
