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Review
. 2019 Jul;571(7764):183-192.
doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1365-2. Epub 2019 Jul 10.

From discoveries in ageing research to therapeutics for healthy ageing

Judith Campisi  1 , Pankaj Kapahi  1 , Gordon J Lithgow  1 , Simon Melov  1 , John C Newman  1 , Eric Verdin  2
Affiliations
Review

From discoveries in ageing research to therapeutics for healthy ageing

Judith Campisi et al. Nature. 2019 Jul.

Abstract

For several decades, understanding ageing and the processes that limit lifespan have challenged biologists. Thirty years ago, the biology of ageing gained unprecedented scientific credibility through the identification of gene variants that extend the lifespan of multicellular model organisms. Here we summarize the milestones that mark this scientific triumph, discuss different ageing pathways and processes, and suggest that ageing research is entering a new era that has unique medical, commercial and societal implications. We argue that this era marks an inflection point, not only in ageing research but also for all biological research that affects the human healthspan.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests J.C. is a scientific founder of Unity Biotechnology, a company that develops senolytics. G.J.L. and S.M. are scientific founders of Gerostate Alpha, a drug-development company focused on creating novel pharmaceuticals that mitigate age-related disease and dysfunction. J.C.N. and E.V are scientific founders of BHB Therapeutics, a company focused on the therapeutic effects of the ketone body β-hydroxybutyrate. E.V. is a scientific founder of Napa Therapeutics, a company that studies NAD metabolism during ageing.

Figures

Fig. 1 |
Fig. 1 |. Timeline of ageing research.
Key discoveries in the ageing field are highlighted, starting with the discovery of the effect of calorie restriction on ageing in 1930.
Fig. 2 |
Fig. 2 |. The concept of geroscience and its approach to age-related disease.
Environmental and genetic factors exert influences on a number of key cellular processes and pathways, which have recently been defined as the hallmarks of ageing. Many of these pathways contribute to the creation of a chronic inflammatory stage and to ageing. These in turn increase the risk for chronic diseases of ageing together with disease-specific risk factors (for example, cholesterol level and high-blood pressure can lead to cardiovascular diseases such as stroke and myocardial infarction).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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