Pharmaceutical Targeting of Mitochondria to Extend Lifespan
Research is increasingly producing novel pharmaceutical interventions to improve the quality and duration of human lifespan. Recent research explores a novel class of compounds designed to help sustain mitochondrial function in an effort to improve both lifespan and healthspan.
Cannabis-Derived Compound Extends Lifespan through Common Pro-Longevity Pathway
Evidence has emerged that cannabidiol (CBD), a non-hallucinogenic compound derived from the Cannabis sativa plant, extends the lifespan of specific animal models. A recent study examines the mechanisms by which it works.
2022 Norman Orentreich Award for Young Investigator on Aging
OFAS presented the third Dr. Norman Orentreich Award for Young Investigator on Aging to Maximilian Schmid-Siegel, a Ph.D. candidate at the Medical University of Vienna Institute of Medical Genetics (Vienna, Austria). The award was presented at the 15th International...
An intermittent form of methionine restriction protects against obesity and may extend lifespan
An intermittent variation of the dietary intervention methionine restriction protects against obesity and provides additional metabolic health benefits to mice, according to a study from the Johnson Laboratory, recently published in Aging Cell.
Compound Found in Traditional Chinese Medicine Extends Lifespan
Recent examination of crude extracts from plants utilized in traditional Chinese medicine has identified the herb Psoralea corylifolia to have potential lifespan-extending properties. Further analysis demonstrated a single compound, corylin, to be responsible for improving lifespan; it was shown to function through the mTOR pathway, a well-defined pathway known to modulate lifespan in a multitude of organisms.
The Key to Getting More Mileage Out of the Brain: Change the Fluids
A recent study from Stanford University School of Medicine demonstrates the partial restoration of brain function in old mice with infusions of cerebrospinal fluid from younger mice.
Cool Down, Live Longer
Since the development of technologies that have allowed humanity to outlive the “normal” period an organism is fit to survive in the natural world, the tragedy of old age and decrepitude has frustrated researchers and driven them to seek out a root cause. Progress has been achieved, for the most part, by addressing the discrete age-related pathologies; however, taking a first-principles approach focused on temperature has allowed researchers to investigate a basic temperature-dependent facet of aging and perhaps affect an underlying driver of many, if not all, age-related phenomena.
Turning Back the Cellular Clock
Thinking of biological aging as analogous to a clock, research has given us two distinct avenues of lifespan-extending intervention: the clock can be either slowed down or wound back. Most research has with dealt the former, but the latter is very promising—especially for those whose clock has been winding for some time.
Weight Loss Drug Shown to Reduce Obesity and Increase Muscle Mass
Obesity is highly correlated with and thought to contribute to an increased incidence of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers and is rapidly becoming the most prevalent driver of age-related pathologies in the modern world. The availability of novel pharmaceutical interventions might provide treatment to the increasingly common condition of intractable obesity.
Can We Be Immunized Against Old Age?
Can vaccines be used to fight age-related disease and, ultimately, to extend lifespan? Research published in Nature Aging suggests that such a promising strategy could be a reality.
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