The international scientific community concludes in Valencia that aging can be modified with timely action

The Longevity World Forum, the international congress on healthy aging, has been consolidated at the close of the second edition in Valencia, where leading names from the international scientific community met to reflect on the advances and challenges posed by this subject. All those who participated during the three days of this conference have agreed that it is possible to modify the way aging occurs, always through a timely and personalised treatment.

 

“Eternal youth is not a realistic objective, but we are beginning to see actions based on scientific evidence to slow down or delay aging,” affirmed Manuel Pérez Alonso, professor of genomics and member of the organising committee, at the close of the congress. Calorie restriction and the control of senescence have also been highlighted as good strategies that have been proven in preliminary trials.

 

However, the implications in this respect go further. Continuing with the words of Pérez Alonso: “We have seen during these days that it is necessary to continue the research because a person’s sex, their genetic composition, diet or even when a therapeutic intervention is carried out, have an influence on the degree of success of these strategies. Therefore, everything points to the fundamental role of precision medicine in the near future.”

 

Furthermore, the Longevity World Forum has approached innovation in longevity, which has served to show that the breakthroughs in this field “will not only come from biology, but also from engineering and technology.” In fact, the conference has been the venue for the sharing of examples of how artificial intelligence is the key to interpreting data with regard to a person’s state of health. The full development of this potential requires an investment by the private sector, but also the support of the public sector through policies to ensure good quality of life, especially taking into account that “we are an increasingly long-living society” and that “age is the main risk factor for all chronic diseases,” as Pérez Alonso points out.

 

The Longevity World Forum has been held for the second consecutive year, since it began in 2018, and it has once again brought together the leading professionals whose work is related to longevity. On a national level, participants included María Blasco, director of the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO); Manuel Collado, head of the cancer and aging stem cell laboratory at the Health Research Institute of Santiago (IDIS); Pura Muñoz, researcher of the Spanish National Centre for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC); and Manuel Serrano, a doctor and professor who is currently working on the ICREA programme of the Institute for Research in Biomedicine of Barcelona (IRB Barcelona).

 

Participants from other countries included Rafael de Cabo, chief of the Translational Gerontology Branch of the National Institute on Aging in Baltimore (USA); Maria Entraigues Abramson, Global Outreach Coordinator of SENS Research Foundation (USA); Mirka Uhlirova, of Excellent in Aging Research (CECAD) of the University of Cologne (Germany);  Bruno Vellas, doctor of the Aging Unit of the Gerontopole at the University Hospital of Toulouse (France); and Álvaro Pascual-Leone, professor of Neurology at the Harvard Medical School (USA); among others. Furthermore, attendees heard the testimony of Liz Parrish, the “patient zero” of the first successful gene therapy against aging, not currently validated by any international scientific organisation.

Liz Parrish shows gene therapies to be a successful formula to increase longevity

Liz Parrish was assailed by doubts about diseases in human beings when her son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. This eventually led her to submit to an internationally pioneering gene therapy which is showing how the conditions associated with age can be combatted. Thus, she is considered to be the “patient zero” of an unprecedented process that she is developing from BioViva Science, the biotechnology company she leads. This experimental case, which has not been validated or backed by any international scientific organisations, has been presented at the Longevity World Forum, the international congress on healthy aging that is being held for the second time in Valencia.

 

Specifically, the gene therapy received by Liz Parrish focuses its action on telomerase, which improves genomic stability, reduces senescence and may even prevent cancer, follistatin, which increases and improves muscle mass and reduces frailty, and klotho, an enzyme that optimises brain functions and eliminates the damage caused by oxidative stress, as the CEO of BioViva Science herself explained. Furthermore, she has announced that in 2020 work will begin with the PGC-1alpha protein, since they believe that it may help in the treatment of dementia and Parkinson’s disease.

 

The last day of the Longevity World Forum, focused on the social and economic aspects of longevity and on the proven guidelines for healthy aging, was completed with presentations by Maria Entraigues Abramson, Global Outreach Coordinator of SENS Research Foundation (USA); Álvaro Pascual-Leone, professor of Neurology at the Harvard Medical School (USA); María Trinidad Herrero Ezquerro, Professor of Anatomy of the University of Murcia and director of the Aging Research Institute of Murcia; and Pedro Almaida, doctor of the Chronobiology group of the University of Murcia; among other speakers.

40% of people over the age of 65 in Europe are affected by protein deficiency

Nutrition as a key intervention in order to maintain health and promote healthy aging. This is the idea that José Viña, professor of physiology of the University of Valencia, has defended for many years, based on his work at the head of the research group Freshage. To this end, he highlights some “serious impediments” currently faced in this respect, such as the fact that “up to 40% of people over the age of 65 in Europe suffer from protein deficiency.”

 

Furthermore, Dr José Viña emphasises the need not only to provide supplementation to older people, but to do so in a personalised manner. In this way, although longevity depends by approximately 30% on genetics, “we have a margin for manoeuvre for life expectancy. Without doubt, improvements in physical exercise, nutrition, stress control and preventive medicine can greatly increase the quality of life of older people,” he explains.

 

With regard to the current debate on calorie restriction, José Viña acknowledges that this is “the best intervention to prolong longevity”. However, although its mechanisms have been widely studied since 1930, the professor explains the limitations. “The problem we face with human beings is that this is an intervention that is very uncomfortable to carry out. Always stopping short of malnutrition, few people are willing to restrict food so much that they have a permanent feeling of hunger or discomfort.”

 

Specifically, the myths and realities of life expectancy will be the focus of Dr Viña’s presentation at the Longevity World Forum, the international congress that will be held on 13, 14 and 15 November in Valencia. Here, he will share his knowledge with other authoritative voices on the subject such as Rafael de Cabo, chief of the Translational Gerontology Branch of the National Institute on Aging in Baltimore (USA); Pura Muñoz, researcher of the Spanish National Centre for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC), who has this year received the Jaume I Prize for Medical Research for her contributions on the molecular mechanisms of aging; Manuel Serrano, a doctor and professor who is currently working on the ICREA programme of the Institute for Research in Biomedicine of Barcelona (IRB Barcelona) leading research into senescence and cellular plasticity; and María Blasco, director of the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) who has recently managed to increase longevity without genetic intervention on mouse models born with longer than usual telomeres.

The researchers María Blasco and Manuel Collado will attend the Longevity World Forum to present the latest discoveries reached in Spain on delaying aging

Two of the most recent major scientific achievements on longevity have been accomplished by Spanish research teams. Specifically, those led by María Blasco at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) and by Manuel Collado at the Health Research Institute of Santiago (IDIS). Both professionals will participate at the second edition of the Longevity World Forum, an international congress on healthy aging and life expectancy which will be held on 13, 14 and 15 November in Valencia.

 

Thus, María Blasco will present some of the work developed by the Telomeres and Telomerase Group of the CNIO, which has shown that longevity can be increased without gene manipulation, using mouse models born with longer than usual telomeres. This not only increases their life expectancy, but also improves their health, since they are better protected against diseases such as cancer and obesity. Dr Blasco will lead one of the conferences included in the symposium of 13 November.

 

Manuel Collado, who will give a presentation on Thursday 14 November, will explain how an active ingredient extracted from Digitalis or foxglove, a plant very common in Galicia, is able to selectively eliminate senescent cells. “We have sufficient evidence today to affirm that the accumulation of senescent cells contributes significantly to a large number of what are known as age-related diseases and it has even been possible to demonstrate that, by specifically eliminating them, we can generate an improved state of health at an advanced age in experimental animal models”, affirms Dr Collado.

 

The Longevity World Forum will bring together more professionals from around the world, who will share other breakthroughs on longevity made by the many sectors involved in this field. For example, participants will include Rafael de Cabo, chief of the Translational Gerontology Branch of the National Institute on Aging in Baltimore (USA); Maria Entraigues Abramson, Global Outreach Coordinator of SENS Research Foundation (USA); Pura Muñoz, researcher of the Spanish National Centre for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC), who has this year received the Jaume I Prize for Medical Research for her contributions on the molecular mechanisms of aging.

 

Also taking part will be Avan Sayer, director of the Newcastle Institute for Ageing (United Kingdom); Reason, co-founder of Repair Biotechnologies, Inc. (USA); Bruno Vellas, doctor of the Aging Unit and chairman of the Gerontopole at the University Hospital of Toulouse (France); Álvaro Pascual-Leone, professor of Neurology at the Harvard Medical School (USA); and Manuel Serrano, a doctor and professor who is currently working on the ICREA programme of the Institute for Research in Biomedicine of Barcelona (IRB Barcelona) leading research into senescence and cellular plasticity. “We want to understand how tissues respond to damage, which includes aging, degenerative diseases and cancer,” explains Dr Serrano.

 

Altogether, the 2019 edition of the Longevity World Forum will serve to inform on the latest research currently underway on longevity, the recently proven guidelines on the best ways to live a longer and healthier life, as well as the social and economic effects implicit to societies with increasing life expectancy. For the second year running, Spain will be the international forum par excellence on healthy aging and, furthermore Valencia is consolidated as one of the scientific capitals of the world.

Longevity World Forum completes its programme for 2019 with a symposium at the Príncipe Felipe Research Centre

The organisers of the Longevity World Forum have confirmed that the programme for the 2019 edition is to be completed with the holding of a symposium in collaboration with the Príncipe Felipe Research Centre (CIPF), where it will be held on Wednesday 13 November at 2 p.m. Specifically, this symposium will deal with preclinical research models of aging and metabolism, as well as looking at their implications for age-related diseases.

 

To this end, the Longevity World Forum symposium to be held at the CIPF will benefit from the participation of benchmarking scientists such as Dr María Blasco, director of the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), who has recently discovered the key to the longevity of species in telomers, Dr Pura Muñoz, researcher of the Spanish National Centre for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC), who has this year received the Jaume I Prize for Medical Research for her contributions on the molecular mechanisms of aging, and Dr Avan Sayer, director of the Newcastle Institute for Ageing (United Kingdom), among others.

 

This symposium has been added to the programme already scheduled for the Longevity World Forum, which will be held over two days, 14 and 15 November, at the Palacio de Congresos (Conference Centre) of Valencia. The forum will focus on scientific research, explaining the latest research currently underway in the field of longevity, the recently proven guidelines on the best ways to live longer and better, and the social and economic effects inherent to societies with an increasing life expectancy.

 

Here, professionals from around the world will meet to share their knowledge on longevity from the point of view of the many sectors involved. These include Rafael de Cabo, chief of the Translational Gerontology Branch of the National Institute on Aging in Baltimore (USA); Maria Entraigues Abramson, Global Outreach Coordinator of SENS Research Foundation (USA); Reason, co-founder of Repair Biotechnologies, Inc. (USA); Manuel Serrano, a doctor and professor who is currently working on the ICREA programme of the Institute for Research in Biomedicine of Barcelona (IRB Barcelona); Bruno Vellas, doctor of the Aging Unit and chairman of the Gerontopole at the University Hospital of Toulouse (France); and Álvaro Pascual-Leone, professor of Neurology at the Harvard Medical School (USA), among others.

 

With all of this, thanks to the Longevity World Forum, Spain is once again the forum par excellence on human longevity and, furthermore Valencia is consolidated as one of the scientific capitals of the world. Those interested in attending can handle their registration via the official website: www.longevityworldforum.com.

Google’s Calico renews its support for the Longevity World Forum, Spain’s most important congress on ageing

Calico (the California Life Company) has confirmed that in 2019 it will once again sponsor the Longevity World Forum, the first international congress in Europe to address life expectancy and healthy ageing from a professional and scientific perspective. Google’s biotechnology company, which specialises in longevity research, is thus endorsing the meeting for the second year running.

 

Calico was founded by Google in 2013 with the aim of extending human life through technology. The company studies the mechanisms behind and the causes of degenerative processes, in order to develop tools to treat the different age-related diseases. To this end, it has a multidisciplinary scientific team that covers such specialist fields as medicine, genetics and molecular biology.

 

The positive synergy that exists between its work philosophy and the Longevity World Forum’s educational vocation of the Longevity World Forum not only prompted Calico to join the project in the first edition in 2018, but also to renew its sponsorship agreement this year. In this way, the congress is on the list of collaborations that the Google company has signed with prestigious entities in the industry, such as AbbVie, and universities around the world.

 

The second edition of the Longevity World Forum will be held on 14 and 15 November at the Palacio de Congresos in Valencia, a city that is rapidly establishing itself as a scientific capital. On this occasion, the focus will be on scientific innovation applied to healthy ageing, the latest research currently being carried out in the field of longevity, and, in a society with ever-increasing life expectancy, the socio-economic effects entailed by such an increase.

 

First-rate professionals will once again be on hand to address these issues. For example, Rafael de Cabo, head of the Translational Gerontology Division at the National Institute on Aging in Baltimore, United States; Reason, the co-founder of Repair Biotechnologies, Inc. (United States); Manuel Serrano, a doctor and professor currently working on the ICREA programme at the Barcelona Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona); Bruno Vellas, a doctor in the Aging Unit at the Gerontopole University Hospital in Toulouse (France); and Álvaro Pascual-Leone, a professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School (United States), among others.

Pedro Almaida: “As the circadian system ages, an organism’s ability to adjust its biological rhythms to environmental cycles is compromised”

Dr. Pedro Almaida has been researching the circadian system for years. His participation in the 2019 Longevity World Forum will give him the opportunity to explain its importance in terms of healthy ageing and to report on the latest discoveries in this field.

Why should we pay attention to the so-called “biological clock”?

Biological rhythms are essential for maintaining optimal health. Throughout human evolution, we hominids have been exposed to regular cycles of light and darkness during each 24-hour period. This process, which evolved over the course of millions of years, led species to adjust their physiology and to synchronise it with the cyclic environment of their habitat. Vertebrates, including hominids, developed groups of neurons that made it possible to monitor the environmental photoperiod. These are located in the hypothalamus, in what is known as suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN). SCN, which form what we call our biological clock or central pacemaker, are an oscillator in their own right, orchestrating most of the known circadian rhythms in vertebrates.

In order to enjoy healthy aging, how should we care for the circadian system from a young age?

The main strategy to prevent imbalances in the biological clock is to reinforce the circadian signals and increase day/night contrast. Bright blue light is the main synchroniser of the circadian system; when applied at the right time, it is able to produce an increase in the amplitude and stability of biological rhythms. But as well as light, we also need darkness to synchronise our rhythms. The absence of darkness leads to the disruption of our biological rhythms. As well as improving physical health, regular exercise, taken at the right time, can also synchronise the biological clock. The timing of when we take our meals is especially important as a synchroniser of most peripheral clocks. Being active socially can also help keep our biological clock running smoothly. And if these guidelines are not enough, we can always take melatonin, which has similar effects to darkness.

What are the main ailments associated with our biological rhythms?

One of the main characteristics of developed societies is their 24/7 lifestyle. Members of these societies are exposed to contradictory synchronising signals, which lead to the emergence of chronodisruption (CD). CD is a relatively new concept that serves to provide a name for the imbalance that exists between an organism’s internal time and the actual environmental time; and also for the loss of internal temporal order, which leads to the dysfunction of the circadian organisation of the physiology, endocrinology, metabolism and behaviour of an organism.

In October 2007, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is part of the World Health Organization (WHO), classified “shift work involving disruption of circadian rhythms” as potentially carcinogenic in humans. In addition, the most prestigious scientific journals, Nature, Science and Current Biology, have recently echoed the health risks produced by inadequate exposure to light, which has also been associated with a greater likelihood of metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, cognitive deterioration, affective disorders, sleep disturbances and cancer.

What treatments are used to combat circadian system problems in old age?

Just like any other structure of the organism, the circadian system grows old too. And, with ageing, the biological clock is characterised by a deterioration at every level of its organisation: information entry routes, central pacemakers, and exit routes (the biological rhythms). Thus, with ageing, the circadian system receives less temporal information, the central pacemaker (the suprachiasmatic nuclei) is generally out of sync and, as far as the circadian rhythms are concerned, there is an advance in their phase, fragmentation and a decrease in amplitude.

Therefore, as the circadian system ages, the body’s ability to adjust its biological rhythms to environmental cycles is compromised and chronodisruption may occur. Fortunately, as we have just seen, there are a number of strategies that people can follow to help our biological clock work better: increase day/night contrast (exposure to bright days and dark nights), take melatonin (if necessary), get regular exercise, and improve sleep and meal times and your social life.

What are you currently working on in the Chronobiology Group at the University of Murcia?

I am working on the LUMEN project (Light, Melatonin and Aging), funded by a research grant from the ONCE Foundation and from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Its main objectives are, on the one hand, to measure the impact of different light/dark schedules on how the circadian system works, by analysing activity/rest rhythms, melatonin production, the sleep pattern and the expression of clock genes in animal models. On the other hand, we are looking for associations between chronodisruption and age-associated diseases by analysing the oxidative status, the lipid composition of cell membranes (especially mitochondria) and the damage caused to mitochondrial DNA throughout the life cycle of animal models.

The LUMEN project is part of a larger project: “Circadian Healthy Ageing”, which is part of the Carlos III Health Institute’s  CIBERFES, the Fragility and Healthy Aging division of the Biomedical Research Network Center.

Why did you decide to participate in the Longevity World Forum and what do you think a congress like this brings to the scientific community and society?

It is an honour for me to be able to attend this prestigious forum dedicated to longevity and quality of life, and to present the work that our research group has been carrying out. These congresses are vital to scientific advancement. They bring together expert researchers from different areas of knowledge, whose efforts are focused on the study of ageing. This is especially important in an area such as aging, which requires interdisciplinary approaches. These meetings encourage the establishment of networks and new lines of action to advance scientific knowledge and improve the quality of life of the population.