Fountain of Youth: Fighting Aging to Prevent Age-Related Diseases

Session Description

It is widely known that aging is a major risk factor for most chronic diseases. However, due to aging being perceived as a natural chronological process, as opposed to an integrated biological process, it is viewed as immutable. In contrast, aging research has achieved impressive progress with model organisms, including the establishment of genetic pathways that regulate healthy lifespan and the generation of evidence that age-related pathways can be a target for intervention. Interventions that target aging pathways could dramatically extend lifespan and, most importantly, health span, the period of life during which an individual is fully functional and free of chronic illness, such as dementia, Alzheimer’s, cancer and heart disease. Studies indicate that metformin (currently approved for diabetes treatment) modulates multiple metabolic and cellular processes that are associated with the development of age-related conditions. Having that in mind, the TAME (Targeting Aging with Metformin) trial was designed to provide proof-of-concept that aging can be treated, just as we treat diseases, and to enhance our understanding of the aging biomarkers. A successful trial could lead the regulatory agencies to approve treatment of aging as an indication. This would revolutionize health care and the Pharma industry: instead of treating each age-related medical condition separately, these conditions would be treated together, by targeting aging per se. With the increasingly scientific evidence and growing government/pharma/biotech investments on this innovative and disruptive approach to treat age-related chronic diseases, it is important to the clinical pharmacologist to be up to date on the latest scientific findings.

This session will provide an overview of the science behind pharmacological aging prevention including the current non-clinical and clinical evidence with special focus on biomarkers, as well as the regulatory landscape. This section includes a debate across experts in academia, pharma and industry.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the latest scientific evidence for targeting fundamental aging processes to delay, prevent, alleviate or treat disorders or diseases linking to these processes, including genetic pathways, biomarkers and non-clinical studies
2. Understand the translational science, clinical evidence, considerations for study design (including biomarkers, gerodiagnostics), and data interpretation
3. Understand the regulatory considerations and implications

Session Schedule

11:00 AM - 11:05 AM MT
Introduction
Lei Zhang, PhD

11:05 AM - 11:15 AM MT
Fountain of Youth: An Overview
Janice Schwartz, MD

11:15 AM - 11:25 AM MT
Geroscience: Translation to the Bedside
James Kirkland, MD, PhD

11:25 AM - 11:35 AM MT
How Do We Measure Aging?
John Wagner, MD, PhD

11:35 AM - 11:45 AM MT
Targeting Aging Processes for Drug Development: Regulatory Considerations
Mary Thanh Hai, MD

11:45 AM - 12:00 PM MT
Panel Discussion and Q&A