The Alliance for Longevity Initiatives

Agingbiotech.info is an outstanding resource for anyone seeking to navigate and understand the rapidly evolving longevity field.

Congratulations, Rubedo Life Sciences!!

Congratulations to Life Biosciences for recently sharing greats news about ER-100, a novel partial epigenetics reprogramming gene therapy using the OSK transcription factors in treating optic neuropathies. The results they shared expanded on effective dosing and timing of treatment in nonhuman primates. Life Biosciences has plans to bring ER-100 into human clinical trials in the second half of 2025! Life Biosciences is a Boston-based biotech company with a mission to develop cellular rejuvenation therapies to reverse and prevent diseases of aging. In addition to their cellular rejuvenation pipeline, they are developing small molecules activators of chaperone-mediated autophagy – a cellular mechanism that increases recycling in our cells. Congratulations again, Life Biosciences! Here’s to redefining again! 

I look forward to speaking at this year's Longevity Summit! Thank you for the opportunity Longevity Global. If you are an A4LI member, you get 10% off your GA ticket! Support our mission and become a member today: https://lnkd.in/g7RcxBbg.

This week on A4LI’s Scientist Spotlight, we get to chat with Caitlyn Fastenau, a fifth year PhD student wrapping up her PhD work in neuroimmunology and neurodegeneration interactions at UT Health San Antonio. In this episode, we discuss what inspired her to pursue STEM, her passion aging research, science communication, and advocacy work. You can listen to our full discussion here: https://spoti.fi/3NuM7s0

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) National Advisory Council on Aging recently approved new concepts that could lead to future funding opportunities, fostering interdisciplinary research aimed at deepening our understanding of aging, taking advantage of recent technological advances and discoveries. Some of the approved concepts are: 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 (𝗔𝗜𝗧𝗖) 𝗥𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗹  This concept expands the current AITC program and help meet the increasing demand for AITC resources and equitably address scientific priorities across NIA. The expansion will promote integration of experimental and AI/ML approaches to better understand mechanisms of aging, health monitoring technologies, imaging and image analysis, and clinical decisions support tools in personalized care.  𝗔𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗧𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝗜𝗻 𝗩𝗶𝘁𝗿𝗼  This concept will support the development of mammalian 3D in vitro tissue systems to model aging to gain insight into the biology of aging and as new tools for screening and testing geroprotectant interventions. 𝗕𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗔𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴   This concept will characterize and validate wild and captive bat populations as models for aging research. It aims to explore potential biological, physiological, sensory, behavioral, and social aging processes that contribute to longevity and healthspan in bats and to develop novel interventions for age-related disorders. 𝗥𝗡𝗔 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴-𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀  RNA editing, alternative splicing, and RNA modification in the regulation of aging and longevity has been an area that remains highly unexplored. Recent technological advances, such as DNA and RNA sequencing, single cell and spatial omics technologies, offer new opportunities to investigate the intricate roles of RNA metabolism. 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀  Microphysiological systems (MPS) — in vitro, three-dimensional (3-D) constructs that mimic human tissue or organ functions — could provide relevant and cost-effective models to complement two-dimensional cell cultures and animal models. Current MPS on the market do not include an aging component. This concept invites small businesses currently to create self-contained systems that maintain 3-D tissue constructs to allow for human-relevant modeling of molecular and cellular aging processes and/or drug discovery for aging-related diseases. The MPS fabrication procedure should be cost-effective, mass-producible, modular, and robust to ensure successful commercialization. Check out the other approved concepts here: https://lnkd.in/g6wRRcSG

Earlier this week, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine recommended that the NIA prioritize human-centered aging research as it develops its strategic goals for 2026-2030. By funding more longitudinal studies, we can gain deeper insights into healthy human aging, age-related diseases, and identify additional biomarkers of aging. In our proposal for a National Institute for Longevity and Aging Research, we emphasize the need for greater focus on aging biology research, the establishment of a Division of Biomarkers of Health, Function, and Aging, and increased collaboration with other NIH institutes and agencies. Check out our full proposal here https://lnkd.in/g-nQxeUR. If you have feedback that will strengthen this proposal, please reach out!

🔥 BioAge CEO & co-founder Kristen Fortney has been recognized as a “Cardiometabolic All-Star” in the 2024 PharmaVoice 100, a list that salutes biotech leaders who are leading in transformational times for the industry and forging new paths for others to follow. “Fortney’s breakthrough insight — that the mechanisms governing aging are linked to the pathogenesis of age-related diseases — fits neatly into the wider goals of obesity drug development, and could lead to therapies that restore body composition and boost metabolism overall.” https://lnkd.in/dQzracmz

On Tuesday 10/22 at 2pm ET,  global economist Andrew J. Scott, DPhil, joins our free webinar, “How Realistic is a 100-Year Life Expectancy & Why Does it Matter?”   Learn more and RSVP here: https://ow.ly/ctXJ50THgiS

Today is Ageism Awareness Day. Ageism is a form of discrimination and prejudice against individuals and often ourselves based on age. This behavior leads to stereotypes and biased treatment. We see ageism in the media, the workforce and especially in healthcare. Like many of the “-isms,” ageism has a negative impact on health and well-being, and dignity. The term “ageism” was coined by Dr. Robert N. Butler in 1968. He first recognized ageism in hospital settings as a medical intern, noting that older patients were seen as “archive, museums of pathology.” His surprise and dismay grew into frustration as he witnessed ageism more frequently. This led him to be more vocal about this form of discrimination and, which caught on as a word universally recognized. Recognizing ageism was only the beginning of Dr. Butler’s visionary work. He became THE pioneer of aging research. As the founding director of the National Institute on Aging (NIA), he staked his career on the premise that “older people not only deserve better, but also are an invaluable resource society cannot afford to waste.” During his leadership, he championed the importance of understanding human aging, even when other The National Institutes of Health directors and high-level scientists were skeptical about the need for an institute specifically devoted to aging. Most notably, Dr. Butler’s work in aging revealed that “senility is not inevitable with aging but is, instead, a consequence of disease.” Before leaving NIA in 1982, he noted that he had at least one research projects with every other institute at the NIH. A visionary leader, Dr. Butler also founded the American Federation for Aging Research, Alzheimer's Disease Association, American Geriatrics Society, the Alliance for Aging Research and many others. Building on his groundbreaking work, we can continue Dr. Butler’s legacy by putting a stop to ageism and raising awareness of the importance of aging research. As Dr. Butler would say, “Life is what you make of it at whatever age.”