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Review
. 2024 Mar 4;16(3):e55495.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.55495. eCollection 2024 Mar.

Harnessing Genetics to Extend Lifespan and Healthspan: Current Progress and Future Directions

Paa Kwesi Ankrah  1 , Enock D Mensah  2 , Kwabena Dabie  3 , Caleb Mensah  4 , Benjamin Akangbe  5 , Jonathan Essuman  6
Affiliations
Review

Harnessing Genetics to Extend Lifespan and Healthspan: Current Progress and Future Directions

Paa Kwesi Ankrah et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Aging is inevitable, but the lifespan (duration of life) and healthspan (healthy aging) vary greatly among individuals and across species. Unlocking the secrets behind these differences has captivated scientific curiosity for ages. This review presents relevant recent advances in genetics and cell biology that are shedding new light by untangling how subtle changes in conserved genes, pathways, and epigenetic factors influence organismal senescence and associated declines. Biogerontology is a complex and rapidly growing field aimed at elucidating genetic modifications that extend lifespan and healthspan. This review explores gerontogenes, genes influencing lifespan and healthspan across species. Though subtle differences exist, long-lived individuals such as centenarians demonstrate extended healthspans, and numerous studies confirm the heritability of longevity/healthspan genes. Importantly, genes and gerontogenes are directly and indirectly involved in DNA repair, insulin/IGF-1 and mTOR signaling pathways, long non-coding RNAs, sirtuins, and heat shock proteins. The complex interactions between genetics and epigenetics are teased apart. While more research into optimizing healthspan is needed, conserved gerontogenes offer synergistic potential to forestall aging and age-related diseases. Understanding complex longevity genetics brings closer the goal of extending not only lifespan but quality years of life. The primary aim of human Biogerontology is to enhance lifespan and healthspan, but the question remains: are current genetic modifications effectively promoting healthy aging? This article collates the advancements in gerontogenes that enhance lifespan and improve healthspan alongside their potential challenges.

Keywords: gerontogenes; gerontology; healthspan; lifespan; longevity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors influencing lifespan and healthspan.
Image generated using BioRender.com.
Figure 2
Figure 2. General role of rapamycin in sustaining organ health.
Image generated using BioRender.com.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Effects of dietary restriction of major food nutrients on longevity.
Image generated using BioRender.com.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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