Hi, longevity enthusiast!

Thanks for subscribing to the Longevity Landscape newsletter by Lumen Longevity!

Expect a style that is nerdy and straight to the point.

In this issue I’m talking about:

1. My experience and learnings from the scientific conference Unlock Healthy Longevity: Supplements in Singapore - DAY 1.

2. News from across the longevity field.

1. Conference

The Unlock Healthy Longevity: Supplements scientific conference last week was the place to be for the longevity community.

I’ve distilled for you the most important and beneficial information for your health.

Buckle up!

DAY 1

Prof. Guido Kroemer from University of Paris Descartes, who wrote the famous paper on nine hallmarks of ageing, emphasised starvation and caloric restriction as a means of slowing ageing due to deacetylation.

Deacetylation leads to autophagy.

Autophagy is a biological process in which cells degrade and recycle their own components. This process plays a crucial role in maintaining cellular homeostasis by removing damaged organelles, misfolded proteins, and other unnecessary or dysfunctional cellular components.

Autophagy helps cells adapt to stress conditions, such as nutrient deprivation, and also plays a role in various physiological processes including development, immunity, and aging.

In turn, hyperacetylation disables autophagy

He talked about Spermidine as a supplement that addresses in humans:

• Blood pressure

• Heart failure

and improves in mice:

• Morphology function

• Neuroprotection

• Stemness

• Diastolic function

• Synaptic active zones

• Median life span

• Protection from lethal sepsis

• Cancer-directed immunogenity

• Immunogenicity after vaccination

and reduces in mice:

• Hypertension or ageing-induced damage

• Arterial stiffness

• Age induced memory impairment

• JOvx-induced bone loss

• Myopathy

• Fibrosis and carcinogenesis

And he recommended this lifestyle. Though I recommend zero alcohol for your longevity.

Phil Newman, Founder of Longevity.Technology, talked about opportunities of the longevity supplement industry.

There are a total of 146 supplements companies so far.

People’s ageing concerns

Here are the present opportunities in the field:

1. Al discovery
   Drug discovery platforms for longevity therapeutics are the sector's largest (by capitalisation).
   There's a lot of skills and spare capacity that can be applied to finding new GRAS ingredients.

2. Asia Pacific
   Anticipated to hit $12.9 trillion by 2031, registering a revenue CAGR of 10.9% from 2022 to 2031.
   

3. Pet supplements
   Pet health and longevity is a trend that's picking-up significant momentum.
   Aging tests and life extension supplements are launching.
   Specialist VC fund(s) being established around pet health and longevity.
   

4. Animal feed
   Market size was estimated at $570.72 billion in 2022.
   (CAGR) of 4.6% from 2023 to 2030.
   Longevity and muscle considerations a small hop from pets.
   

5. Targeting specific concerns
   Supplements addressing cognitive function and specific age-related issues like bone health or skin elasticity.
   Easier to understand than e.g. ‘cellular energy’.
   

6. Customer retention
   Subscription models and digital integration:
   Providing convenient subscription options and integrating with health tracking apps can enhance user experience.
   …leading to loyalty and retention.
   

7. Gut (brain axis)
   Focus on gut health:
   The gut microbiome is increasingly linked to overall health, leading to supplements targeting gut health for longevity.
   Emerging correlation with mental wellbeing.
   

8. Independent clinical validation
   Transparency and science-backed claims:
   Consumers want transparency about ingredients, sourcing, and scientific backing for claims.
   

9. Personalised supplements
   Offering customised combinations based on individual needs and genetic profiles will be a future trend.
   Manufacturing technology and capacity already exists.
   

10. Natural and organic
    Consumers increasingly seek natural solutions, presenting opportunities for plant-based extracts and other natural ingredients.
    Easier regulatory pathway.
    

11. Interesting ingredients/compounds
    - Taurine - already used by Life Extension
    - Pentadecanoic Acid (C15:0) - already used by fatty15 / Seraphina therapeutics
    - Lithium - already used by Life Extension
    - Ferritin
    - Rhodiola
    - Astragalus
    - Sulforaphane - already used by MoleQlar
    - Follistatin
    - Astaxanthin - already used by AX3
    - Fucoidan - already used by DoNotAge
    - Others: specific flavonoids (e.g. those found in gingko biloba) and carotenoids
    

12. Largest market with the lightest touch regulatory pathway is the USA.

Prof. Brian Kennedy from National University of Singapore was talking about his research on Alpha ketoglutarate (AKG) for healthspan.

AKG administration is associated with:

• Adult Stem Cell Function

• Metabolic Flexibility

• Enhanced Respiration

• Altered Microbiome Function

• Reduced Inflammation

• Ageing Biomarkers - Epigenetic clock

Plus, it’s looking promising for women’s health

According to Dr. Ajla Hodzic Kuerec from Centre for healthy longevity, Urolithin A targets ageing in humans.

Yet, there is next conclusion

Prof. Andrea Meier from NUS Young Loo Lin School of Medicine discussed how to separate hype from hope (-from reality?).

We are a constantly changing creatures. We’re not a snapshot, but a story.

We need to match indicators with interventions. First diagnose:

• Biological Phenotyping

• Clinical Phenotyping

• Digital Phenotyping

Then based on that provide interventions:

• Therapeutics

• Supplements

• Lifestyle

• Environment

Andrea recommended taking NAD precursors - essential enzyme for metabolism, DNA repair, cell growth and survival.

Other strategies for boosting NAD levels:

• Diet and caloric restriction

• Exercise

• Targeting NAD'-consuming (CD38, PARPs) and biosynthetic enzymes

• Enhancing circadian rhythm

These are compounds to improve biological age and cognition:

• Litchi chinensis seeds

• Asiatic acid, Centella asiatica

• Yuzu (Citrus junos Tanaka)

• Curcumin

• Bee pollen from coffee flowers

• Sea cucumber

In a recent paper supplements were ranked based on their evidence.

Conclusion

Alex Moskalev from Institute of Biogerontology of Lobachevsky State University talked about interesting compounds: terpenes

From paper by Proshkina et al. Antioxidants, 2020:

Terpenes have a wide range of medicinal applications among which are antiplasmodial, antiviral, anticancer, antidiabetic, and antidepressant activities.

From paper by Kudryavtseva et al. Oncotarget, 2016:

Siberian fir terpene extract

• We studied whole transcriptomic effects of ABISIL, the extract of Abies sibirica terpens (10% borny) acetate), on human normal human fibroblasts (6 and 13 passages).

• Terpenes induced genes of stress response (Hif-1, FOXO), apoptosis regulation, immunity and tissue regeneration.

• The restoration of the expression level of some prolongevity genes after fir extract treatment was shown in old cells (heat shock proteins, GADD45, DUSP family, SOCS3, MYC, JUN etc).

DAY 2 will be covered in the next newsletter.

2. News

🔋“The Kardashian Of Longevity”: Is Bryan Johnson Good For The Nascent Longevity Biotechnology Industry?

🔋This diet swap can cut your carbon footprint and boost longevity

🔋Harish Consul on why investing in longevity is a necessity for those seeking to catch the next transformative wave.

🔋A Roadmap to Rejuvenation: Targeting the Hallmarks of Aging

🔋Building a ‘longevity mindset’ can help you live longer, says one expert. Here’s how

🔋‘Menopause education is mixed messages – it should be evidence-based’

🔋Biohacking infradian rhythm can improve female healthspan

💼Bottlenecks in Funding Longevity

💼A Scientific Approach to VC

💼Sanofi CEO: AI promises a great era of drug discovery that could fundamentally change medicine–but only if we allow it to deliver

💼‘Pet longevity is a spark about to turn into a wildfire’

💼Matter emerges from stealth with $26m to find a biomarker for happiness

💼Denali raises $500m to advance treatments for neurodegenerative disease

💼Tally Health announces innovative next-gen epigenetic age clock

💼PulseSight launches with gene therapy platform targeting age-related blindness

💼Today, we announce the KnowU™, our non-invasive wearable continuous glucose monitor that incorporates the sensor we plan to submit to the FDA for clearance.

🧬Physically Fit Older People Have Better Visual Processing

🧬AI-discovered drug for ALS enters clinical trials

🧬Niacin (Vitamin B3) Linked to Cardiovascular Risk

🧬Using Ultrasound to Assist Gene Therapy

🧬Ultra-processed foods and food additives in gut health and disease

🧬Higher Abdominal Fat Associated with Cognitive Decline

🧬Klotho and The Thread of Life

🧬Follistatin, Gene Therapy, Muscle Mass, and Longevity

🧬Rejuvenate Bio shows epigenetic reprogramming extends lifespan in normal mice

🧬'Zombie Cells' Are Still Alive But Can't Function, And They Accumulate as We Age

🧬Light and sound may slow Alzheimer’s by making the brain remove toxins

🧬MEGA-CRISPR tool gives a power boost to cancer-fighting cells

🧬New canine clinical research evaluates reversal of age-related signs in dogs

🧬High-intensity Exercise Can Reverse Neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s Disease

That’s it for now. You can let me know your thoughts on the newsletter by simply replying to this email.

For now I’m off to Vipassana for 38 days. I’ll be back on 15th April.

Meanwhile, stay healthy and be well.

Katia Dowling

Disclaimer - I’m not a doctor and I don’t have a medical degree. This newsletter is not a medial advice, but my personal opinion.

Please consult your doctor for whatever longevity reasons and treatments you’d like to undergo.

P.S. If you’d like to become a partner of the Lumen Longevity Festival in the most revolutionary field of health, as well as one of the three megatrends among AI and clean anergy, please get in touch via [email protected]