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.

“Imaging is the key to the health of the future focused on prevention and regular monitoring”

Ángel Alberich-Bayarri, director and founder of QUIBIM, will participate for the second year running at the Longevity World Forum. His intervention, which will form part of the session on RDI in longevity, will reveal the applications and possibilities of artificial intelligence in this field.

What new lines of work are you currently developing in Quibim?

We are currently developing Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms for application in different clinical scenarios more closely related with the study of disease and also in the field of prevention and health preservation. In the more clinical scope, we are continuing to evolve our image analysis platform with the launch of a new version next December. This incorporates a detector of pathologies in chest X-rays based on artificial intelligence and an integrated application for the diagnosis and characterisation of prostate cancer, which will be the first artificial intelligence tool in the world focused on this disease. In the field of health, quality of life and longevity, we are working very intensively on characterising the state of health of organs and tissues. We are able to calculate the health of an organ and to know its real “age” based on all the parameters that we measure. We can discover the real age of a person’s brain or the state of health of their liver, bones, cartilage and muscles, among others. This enables us to provide an overall indicator of an individual’s health based on the condition of their organs.

What do the advances in medical imaging and biomarkers mean for the end patients?

The main advantage provided by the analysis of medical images based on computational models (mathematical models) such as Artificial Intelligence is better knowledge of the pathology, beyond what can be seen by the human eye of the radiologist. The patient has interacted very little with the radiologist and has hardly any knowledge of the preparation details of the radiology report. QUIBIM makes this process more objective and transparent, providing objective reports, in addition to that of the radiologist, more similar to the reports provided for a blood test: What is my value and what is the normal range? Am I inside or outside the range? We can provide this type of information for many organs and tissues: What is the volume of grey matter in my brain? Is it normal? Does my liver have fat deposits? What is the condition of the cartilage in my joints? Is it sufficiently hydrated?

In your opinion, what has been the principal milestone in your sector during the last year?

The main milestone has been the change in the type of client, reflected by the maturity of the market: from the stage where the commercial adoption of artificial intelligence algorithms for medical imaging was focused on visionary clinics adept in technology, that saw AI as a way to stand out from the competition, to a second, more mature stage in which the main criterion for purchase is the search for value, which is followed by the vast majority of clients: How can this new technology improve my work?

What new advances for health will artificial intelligence bring in the near future?

One of the forthcoming advances for health provided by the processing of medical images using artificial intelligence will be provided by what is known as radiomics, since this will make it possible to improve the precision of diagnosis, the evaluation of prognosis and the prediction of therapeutic response. Thanks to the immense quantity of data currently generated by the use of AI, radiomics will enable us to perform populational studies to monitor the evolution of a disease over time and to discover new imaging biomarkers related to the clinical goals such as survival and response to a treatment, among others. Radiomics, based on a multivariate analysis of large quantities of imaging biomarkers extracted from the processing of radiological images (CT, MR, PET), enables us to find the relationship between the image parameters and the diagnosis, prognosis or therapeutic efficiency.

Why have you decided to participate at the Longevity World Forum again and what is the main idea that you would like to transmit this time?

QUIBIM is seriously committed to aligning its future with the creation of digital twins of the human body for every one of us, fed with information on the state of health of our organs obtained from medical images. We think that imaging is the key to this health of the future, focused on prevention and regular monitoring of how we are on the inside. From a perspective more closely related to social commitment, Valencia is a land of companies that have been models of success in the health sphere. Having the Longevity World Forum in the city is a great milestone involving a huge effort by the organisers and we want to be part of it.

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.

Manuel Serrano: “I don’t know how to use the word immortality. I don’t see any point in talking about something so intangible”

Manuel Serrano is internationally recognised in the field of tumour suppression. In addition to his discovery of the p16 gene, one of his most important discoveries has been the identification of cellular senescence as a main anti-oncogenic response. In this the second edition of Longevity World Forum, he will share his extensive experience, as well as the advances on which he is currently working at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona).

What did the discovery of the p16 gene mean to you personally and professionally? What specific medical applications has it had?

Discovering the p16 gene is one of my greatest and most satisfying scientific achievements.  On a personal level it taught me a lot, including the value of teamwork and luck. I’m very proud of it, but I don’t take full credit for it either. Professionally it has opened many doors for me and it has given me international visibility very early on in my career.

The p16 gene is used to diagnose certain types of hereditary cancer, and also to determine the prognosis of certain types of tumours. Perhaps the most important value of p16 was to understand how the cancer-protective pathway known as p16/CDK4/cyclinD/Rb works. Chemotherapy targeting CDK4 is now a reality with great results for an advanced type of breast cancer and everything suggests that this type of chemotherapy will be very useful for other types of cancer.

After more than a decade at Spain’s National Cancer Research Center (CNIO), what is the main lesson you would highlight?

There are several: a leading research centre needs first class support units, with the best specialists and the best equipment; in addition, it needs to choose scientists with the highest possible quality requirements which, in addition to a magnificent list of publications, must include creativity, strategic issues, the ability to collaborate, and international visibility.

Why found a company like Senolytic Therapeutics to specialise in cellular senescence?

Because companies are the only way to turn scientific results into tangible advances for society, in this case into new medicines. Drug development is an incredibly complex, uncertain and expensive process. There is no way you can start this process without private investments. Personally, participating in this process is a fascinating challenge that is teaching me so much.

What lines of research are you currently developing at IRB?

We want to understand how tissues respond to damage (and the word damage includes aging, degenerative diseases, and cancer). Understanding these answers may give us clues as to how to avoid and treat many diseases. One half of the laboratory is concentrating on cell senescence, which is one of the main responses of damaged cells; and the other half is concentrating on cell plasticity, which is the basis of tissue (and possibly cancer) regeneration.

What link have you and your team found between tumour suppressor genes and aging?

Tumour suppressor genes protect us from cancer and, in actual fact, from many diseases. In this sense they are very beneficial.  However, if they are constantly active (e.g., because of continued or excessive exposure to damage), this protection may actually accelerate aging.

What is the next big milestone in cell reprogramming that will we see in the near future? 

 

I think it will be manipulating reprogramming with drugs or with biological agents (antibodies or small peptides). We and many others are working in this direction.

You are already testing scientific advances on ageing in the laboratory; when will they have a real application in human beings?

I think this is a long way off. First of all we need to be able to treat degenerative diseases that are typical of ageing, such as fibrosis, which to a certain extent are the accelerated and local ageing of an organ. This is much more realistic and closer in time.

Can we talk about immortality, as some people have been announcing for some time now, or is this not a concept that can be contemplated scientifically?

We still do not know how to delay the progression of many degenerative diseases (Alzheimer’s, fibrosis, etc.), let alone reverse them. When this happens, we may then be able to consider delaying aging and extending our healthy years. I don’t know how to use the word immortality, I don’t know if it is meant to literally mean an eternity (an astronomer would tell me that neither the earth, nor the sun, nor the galaxy are eternal) or if it’s meaning is figurative. I don’t see any point in talking about something so intangible.” I prefer to concentrate on much more modest goals, such as delaying a degenerative disease.

Why did you decide to participate in a congress such as the Longevity World Forum and what would you say are the highlights of such a meeting?

Longevity World Forum brings together the best specialists in the world and each one contributes their own perspective. This is very enriching. Everyone has a way of looking at the problem of aging and for me it is a great opportunity to learn.

Read the original interview in Acta Sanitaria

Jose Maria Labeaga: “Longevity is being perceived as a threat, but it really should be understood as an opportunity”

Increasing life expectancy has economic consequences for society. In the forthcoming edition of the Longevity World Forum, UNED professor Jose Maria Labeaga will analyse these challenges and needs.

In general terms, what have the main economic effects of the increase in life expectancy been to date?

Increased life expectancy should be seen as a very positive development. What has undoubtedly not been all that positive is the way in which countries have faced this challenge, which has taken place at the same time as the fertility rate has declined. Essentially, the worst consequence of not having taken measures to deal with these changes has been that, from an economic point of view, the effects of increased longevity have not been very promising until now. As a result, companies have not taken advantage of the skills of the working population of a certain age, and governments have not taken steps to deal with the added and growing pressure that benefit/subsidy programmes are exerting on public accounts.

In your opinion, is longevity a threat or an opportunity for the economy?

Generally speaking, longevity is being perceived as a threat, but my view is that, with the right changes, it really should be understood as an opportunity. Why is that? The introduction of improvements related to health and to how the workplace operates, as well as the change from work that currently requires effort to work that fundamentally requires knowledge, means that an increasing percentage of people in the 60s and 70s age group, who in the past (and even today) did not contribute to the economy, will be able to do so.   If the trend continues, we know that a significant percentage of workers in this age group prefer to work part-time. Therefore, if there is a demand for this type of employment, the retirement age should be increased and the pressure on public spending at this age should be reduced. In addition, older workers have a wealth of experience and vast knowledge that can be very useful. Of course, this desire to stay in the labour market also requires a certain balance with the need to keep up to date and, consequently, such workers need to recycle or update their knowledge through continuous training.

Spain has one of the highest life expectancies in the world. What specific economic implications does this entail for our country?

As the necessary changes have not been made to adapt to the new times, and  moreover, we have had to face a serious economic crisis, expenditure on health and dependency, which affects the elderly in such a relevant way, has been affected. In this context of austerity and increased spending on pensions, health care benefits, including dependency benefits, have suffered significant budget cuts and we have still to fully implement the Dependency Care System. Users of medicines also saw their benefits cut and a co-payment was introduced which even affected (with a spending threshold) expenditure on medicines. Pensions were frozen during the first years of the crisis. In short, in a context of such high life expectancy, if the necessary reforms are not addressed, these budgetary imbalances may be affected in the coming years.

Could it be argued that longevity is being capitalised, or is it another business?

Both issues are happening at the same time. As far as Spain is concerned, both in terms of income and wealth, it’s the older generations that have best endured the economic crisis and, consequently, several sectors (tourism, insurance, even certain sectors involved in the sale of both non-durable and durable goods and services) consider these groups to be a market segment in which to do business.

If it were up to you, what short-term measures would you take to make the most of this phenomenon?

There is no simple way to meet the challenge, partial or short-term measures are not enough. We need a global strategy that cuts across many policies. It would however seem advisable to reach agreements on the sustainability of the pension system and on tailoring the amounts paid out to the needs of the recipients.

Why did you decide to participate in a congress such as the Longevity World Forum, and what idea would you like to put across?

I believe that ageing is one of today’s most important challenges. It is exciting from the analysis (research) point of view of and it is important from the point of view of economic and social policy measures. I would like to put across an idea that clearly reinforces the need for inter-generational equity, and that requires awareness and solidarity between the different generations.

Life expectancy and healthy ageing, under debate in Spain at the Longevity World Forum

The Longevity World Forum, a European congress whose approach to life expectancy and healthy ageing is breaking new ground, will turn Spain into an international forum on human longevity for the second consecutive year. Specifically, on 14 and 15 November, professionals from all over the world will gather in the city of Valencia to share their knowledge of and experience in this subject from the many sectors involved.

 

According to the advance programme that the organisers of the Longevity World Forum have released, the focus in 2019 will be on scientific innovation, explaining the latest research that is currently being carried out in the field of longevity; on the guidelines that have recently been shown to be conducive to living longer and better; and i societies with ever-increasing life expectancy, the socio-economic effects entailed by such an increase.

 

To this end, the second edition of the congress will feature top-level experts such as Rafael de Cabo, head of the Translational Gerontology Division at the National Institute on Aging in Baltimore (USA); 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).

 

The fact is that since its first edition in 2018, the Longevity World Forum has positioned itself as the meeting point for the global scientific community, as well as for academia and industry players from different countries whose work is related to increasing life expectancy and healthy ageing. The congress also has the support of the Royal Academy of Medicine and other public and private institutions from the biosanitary and biotechnological sector, including Calico, the Google company specialising in longevity, which has collaborated with this initiative since its first edition.

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.