Lifeboat Foundation

The Mediterranean diet has become famous far beyond its namesake sea, as research increasingly supports its longstanding reputation for boosting health and longevity.

Studies have shown that people on the Mediterranean diet – which emphasizes plant-based foods and fish, and not so much red meat or dairy – tend to be healthier in multiple ways, with lower rates of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, dementia, and overall mortality.

But why? Despite strong evidence for health benefits, it remains unclear how exactly this mix of foods, at the cellular level, can lengthen lifespan.

In a conversation during an episode of the Adam Buxton podcast, the veteran performer recently voiced his opinion regarding the likelihood of actors being kept alive in movies through the power of advanced technologies.

Known for his iconic roles in numerous blockbuster films like Forest Gump and Cast Away, the actor said that such technologies can be leveraged to recreate his image, voice, and mannerisms, from “now until kingdom come,” said Tom in the podcast.

Aubrey: 50% chance to LEV in 12–15 years, and a variety of topics from Rey Kurzweil to A.I. to Singularity, and so on.

In this podcast, Aubrey de Grey discusses his work as President and CSO at Lev Foundation and co-founder at Sense Research Foundation in the field of longevity. He explains how the Foundation’s focus is to combine rejuvenation and damage repair interventions to have greater efficacy in postponing aging and saving lives. De Grey believes that within 12 to 15 years, they have a 50% chance of achieving longevity escape velocity, which is postponing aging and rejuvenating the body faster than time passes. De Grey acknowledges the limitations of traditional approaches like exercise and diet in postponing aging and feels that future breakthroughs will come from high-tech approaches like skin and cell therapies. He discusses the potential of AI and machine learning in drug discovery and the possibility of using it to accelerate scientific experimentation to optimize decisions about which experiments to do next. De Gray cautions that the quality of conclusions from AI depends on the quality and quantity of input data and that the path towards defeating aging would require a symbiotic partnership between humans and AI. Finally, he discusses his excitement about the possibilities of hardware and devices like Apple Watch and Levels in tracking blood sugar levels and their potential to prolong life.

Language impairment is comorbid in most children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) but its neural basis is poorly understood. Using structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the present study provides the whole-brain comparison of both volume-and surface-based characteristics between groups of children with and without ASD and investigates the relationships between these characteristics in language-related areas and the language abilities of children with ASD measured with standardized tools. A total of 36 school-aged children participated in the study: 18 children with ASD and 18 age-and sex-matched typically developing controls. The results revealed that multiple regions differed between groups of children in gray matter volume, gray matter thickness, gyrification, and cortical complexity (fractal dimension).

Researchers at the University of Cologne have discovered a protein complex, called DREAM, that inhibits DNA repair mechanisms in human, mouse, and nematode cells, thereby contributing to aging and disease. They successfully suppressed the DREAM complex with a pharmaceutical agent, boosting the cells’ resilience to DNA damage, and suggesting potential new treatments for aging and cancer, although further research is needed.

Researchers at the University of Cologne have found that a protein complex impedes the repair of genomic damage in human cells, mice, and the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Furthermore, they were able to successfully obstruct this complex with a pharmaceutical agent for the first time.

When we suppress the so-called DREAM complex in body cells, various repair mechanisms kick in, making these cells extremely resilient towards all kinds of DNA.

Evidence that non-invasive sensory stimulation of 40 Hz gamma frequency brain rhythms can reduce Alzheimer’s disease pathology and symptoms, already shown with light and sound by multiple research groups in mice and humans, now extends to tactile stimulation. A new study by MIT scientists shows that Alzheimer’s model mice exposed to 40 Hz vibration an hour a day for several weeks showed improved brain health and motor function compared to untreated controls.

The MIT group is not the first to show that gamma frequency tactile stimulation can affect brain activity and improve motor function, but they are the first to show that the stimulation can also reduce levels of the hallmark Alzheimer’s protein phosphorylated tau, keep neurons from dying or losing their synapse circuit connections, and reduce neural DNA damage.

“This work demonstrates a third sensory modality that we can use to increase gamma power in the brain,” said Li-Huei Tsai, corresponding author of the study, director of The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory and the Aging Brain Initiative at MIT, and Picower Professor in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences (BCS).

Dr. Sylvain Moreno is chief executive officer and scientific director of Circle Innovation.

Artificial intelligence (AI) holds great promise in the fight against ageism, and future technologies powered by AI can be a first step to ensure older adults are fully involved in the processes, systems and, ultimately, services that will affect them throughout the aging journey.

Healthcare providers, governments, academia, not-for-profits and businesses can ensure that AI is not only strengthening healthcare for older adults but also empowering them to meet their individual needs.

Last week, US-Israeli startup SIRTLab announced the appointment of leading geroscience researcher Nir Barzilai as its Chief Medical Adviser. The company is focused on the development of therapeutics that boost levels of a key protein called sirtuin 6 (SIRT6), which is heavily implicated in longevity.

Sirtuins are a group of proteins found in all living organisms, including humans, that play a vital role in regulating various cellular processes. There are seven different types of sirtuins, numbered from SIRT1 to SIRT7, each with its own unique functions. In recent years, SIRT6 has gained particular attention for its potential role in promoting healthy aging, and SIRTLab has put the protein at the center of its work.

Longevity. Technology: The SIRT6 protein has been shown to regulate several critical cellular pathways, including glucose metabolism, DNA repair and inflammation – all of which play key roles in aging and longevity. One of the world’s leading authorities on SIRT6 is SIRTLab co-founder and Bar-Ilan University professor Haim Cohen, whose research is behind the company’s work to develop therapeutics with longevity-boosting potential. To learn more about SIRTLab’s longevity-first approach, we spoke to its co-founder and CEO Boaz Misholi.

NewLimit, a company working towards the radical extension of human healthspan using epigenetic reprogramming has announced it has secured $40 million in Series A funding from prominent investors including Dimension, Founders Fund, and Kleiner Perkins.

This investment further bolsters the company’s belief that therapies to delay, halt or even reverse aging can be found through the exploration of epigenetic reprogramming. With a strong belief that their innovative approach can also address various age-related diseases, NewLimit aims to revolutionize the field of aging biology and pave the way for transformative advancements in healthcare.

Longevity. Technology: Epigenetic reprogramming is an emerging but exciting field of geroscience. It involves the identification of specific sets of transcription factors that can induce changes in gene expression and cellular behavior, effectively reversing or modifying the epigenetic markers associated with aging. This approach offers a unique opportunity to rejuvenate cells and tissues, potentially slowing down or even reversing the effects of aging and its related diseases. NewLimit says that while its products are designed to treat aging itself, the company also believes “these products could treat or prevent many diseases associated with aging, including fibrosis, infectious disease, and neurodegenerative disease.”