isbscience.org/research/healthy-aging/
Research suggests that it may be possible to eliminate the correlation between age and diseases. ISB is working to leverage systems biology approaches to understand the mechanistic links among the processes that accompany and/or lead to aging.
“The biggest risk factor for disease is chronological age, and there are core mechanisms associated with aging that underlie many diseases. If we can understand and target those core aging factors, we can delay the onset of all diseases rather than only one specific disease.”
– Dr. Alice Kane, Ling/Obrzut Assistant Professor, ISB
Image Credit: Steve Cummings, 2019
Humans have grown accustomed to the symptoms of aging: increased mortality, decreased fitness, loss of function, damage accumulation, and the general process of becoming old. The incidence rates of heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s and nearly every other chronic disease increase sharply as we age. However, researchers have uncovered key regulators that control the aging process, called the “hallmarks of aging”.
Healthspan is the idea of the period of one’s life within their lifespan where they are in relatively good health. Most people have a period of time at the end of their life where they have age-related diseases, and they have lost independence and function. The aim is to study the mechanisms that factor into aging so that we can maximize our period of healthspan.
ISB researchers have learned to harness deep molecular and physiological information to determine a person’s biological age. Unlike your chronological age (the number of birthdays you’ve celebrated), researchers have found that biological age can serve as an effective and reliable predictor of overall health, and they are getting to the root of aging and determining ways to slow its progression. We do this by working to understand how aging processes, the immune system, the gut microbiome, and other systems affect our ability to modify aging.
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We are exploring the use of longitudinal multi-omics to translate discoveries from model organisms to human clinical trials and mitigate varied responses to different anti-aging interventions.
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ISB is a core member of the National Institute on Aging’s (NIA) Longevity Consortium. NIA was set up by the National Institutes of Health to lead a broad scientific effort to understand the nature of aging and to extend the healthy, active years of life. NIA is also the primary federal agency supporting and conducting Alzheimer’s disease research.
Supplementing the standard of treatment for Alzheimer’s disease patients with personalized lifestyle coaching leads to less cognitive decline compared to standard of treatment alone, according to an ISB-led two-year study. The results were published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Popular Mechanics interviewed ISB Co-founder and Professor Dr. Lee Hood for an article titled “Leroy Hood Wants To Show You How To Live for a Really, Really Long Time.” The story features Hood’s big-data approach and a focus on disease prevention – all in the quest to help us live longer.
In their new book, “The Age of Scientific Wellness: Why the Future of Medicine is Personalized, Predictive, Data-Rich, and In Your Hands,” Drs. Lee Hood and Nathan Price introduce a new way of thinking about healthcare – a focus on preventing diseases and optimizing overall wellness.
