Scientists want to develop ways to extend human lifespans so that people can live longer and healthier lives.
The Potokusnak Longevity Institute at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine is a longitudinal cross-sectional study examining the relationship between chronological and biological age across various organ systems and testing interventions that may reverse or delay lifespan. Launched the Human Longevity Research Institute. aging process.
“The relationship between chronological age (how old you are) and biological age (how old your body is in relation to your overall health) and how they differ is key to understanding human lifespan.” said Douglas Vaughan, MD. He is director of the Potosnack Longevity Institute at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, which also includes the Human Longevity Research Institute. “The knowledge gained from this study may allow scientists to develop ways to slow the aging process, delay the onset of age-related diseases, and hopefully extend ‘healthspan’.”
Although anyone is eligible to participate in Northwestern’s research studies, scientists are focused on studying people who are disadvantaged when it comes to biological aging, including people with HIV.
“We are particularly interested in admitting people at risk of accelerated aging, such as people with chronic HIV infection, people with chronic kidney disease, and people who are regularly exposed to toxic substances (smoke and chemicals). I have,” said Dr. Irving S. Vaughan. Cutter Professor Emeritus in the Department of Cardiology. “Our main objective is to find ways to slow down the rate of aging in rapidly aging people and provide them with the opportunity to extend their healthy lives.”
The comprehensive research protocol includes evaluation across a variety of systems (cardiovascular, respiratory, neurocognitive, metabolic, and musculoskeletal) and novel molecular profiling of the epigenome. This study will be free to participants at Northwestern Medicine.
Over the next year, the research team plans to enroll a diverse cohort representing individuals of all ages, ethnicities, and socio-economic backgrounds to understand how aging affects all members of the population. is standing.
After the test is completed, participants’ results will be reviewed together.
“This is information that may motivate some participants to improve their lifestyle, exercise more, lose weight, and change their diet,” said John Wilkins, deputy director of the Human Longevity Research Institute. said the M.D. Ph.D. Wilkins is an associate professor of cardiology and preventive medicine at the Feinberg School of Medicine and a physician at Northwestern Medicine.
Ultimately, the Human Longevity Laboratory plans to begin clinical trials aimed at testing treatments and interventions that may slow the rate of aging.
Visit this site for more information on the study.
Vaughn plans to develop a network of sites replicating the Human Longevity Institute with partners in the United States and around the world.
“We hope to clone our lab in terms of basic equipment and protocols,” Vaughan said. “We intend to build the world’s most diverse and comprehensive large-scale database that will significantly contribute to our research.”
Potential cooperation partners and locations have already been identified in Asia, Brazil, the Netherlands and West Africa.
The Human Longevity Laboratory is part of the multicenter Potocsnak Longevity Institute, whose goal is to foster new discoveries and build on Northwestern University’s ongoing research in the rapidly advancing science of aging. The institute is funded by donations from Chicago businessman John Potosnak and his family.
“Aging is a major risk factor for all diseases that affect adults, including diabetes, arthritis, dementia, heart disease, diabetes, age-related cancers, high blood pressure, and frailty,” Vaughn said. “The biological processes that cause aging may be malleable. We think we can slow down, slow down, and even theoretically reverse the process. The curtain is being pulled back, and we want to contribute to that large-scale discovery process.”
