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Ageing is the primary risk factor for cancer, dementia, and cardiovascular diseases. As the understanding of the biology of ageing constantly improves, there are already initial approaches to geroprotection, which seeks to reduce the age-related risk of disease and thus extend healthy lifespan. In the discussion paper “Health-Extending Medicine in an Aging Society – Prospects for Medical Research and Practice” published today by the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, the researchers involved recommend a paradigm shift in how research and medicine approach age-related diseases.
In the paper they call for better research into the ageing process, so that medicine can focus on ageing itself – rather than waiting to treat age-related diseases.
As age increases, the body’s ability to monitor and guide cellular processes diminishes. This leads to increasing malfunction with respect to cell repair, for example. These malfunctions are often the cause of cancer or cardiovascular diseases in old age. Such age-related diseases pose a major challenge to the healthcare system in an ageing society. A better understanding of the mechanisms of ageing offers great potential to develop new therapeutic approaches that could help maintain health during the ageing process and effectively reduce age-related diseases. In order to understand the highly complex ageing process, the authors of the discussion paper recommend establishing an interdisciplinary systems ageing consortium in Germany. This consortium would pool expert knowledge in the biology of ageing and systems biology and make it possible to link research data from model organisms with human data such as biospecimens and patient data.
The availability, linking, and evaluation of large amounts of data are key to better understanding the ageing process, identifying environmental factors that influence ageing, and developing possible geroprotective measures. Multiomics data, which refers to combined data from various levels such as DNA, RNA, and proteins, could help researchers develop biomarkers for ageing. These biomarkers would provide information about the biological age of humans (which often differs from chronological age) and thus show the efficacy of geroprotective measures or medication in clinical studies. The authors of the discussion paper thus recommend setting up a national biological database. Similar to the British Biobank, multiomics data could be pooled here and made available to research.
This could enable numerous new treatment approaches, for example for the pharmacological treatment of ageing. Medications already exist – for example, to treat high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes – that have also been shown to have a geroprotective effect. The authors claim that analysing large amounts of data could help identify additional existing drugs that could also be used as geroprotectors. They also present cellular reprogramming as a highly promising strategy to reverse the ageing process, in that it could help restore tissue functions. Additionally, reliable biomarkers could enable a future paradigm shift in GP practices and hospitals in order to provide patients with evidence-based advice on preventing disease and supporting resilience processes.
The discussion paper “Health-Extending Medicine in an Aging Society – Prospects for Medical Research and Practice” is published on the Leopoldina website: https://www.leopoldina.org/en/ageing-medicine
Publications in the series “Leopoldina Discussion” are contributions by the authors named. With its discussion papers, the Academy offers researchers the opportunity to provide thought-provoking ideas, stimulate discourse and formulate recommendations flexibly and without a formal working group process. The theses and recommendations contained in discussion papers thus do not reflect the official positions of the Leopoldina.
In November 2024, initiated by the Leopoldina Focus Group Medicine, an international workshop on geriatric medicine took place at the Leopoldina in Halle (Saale)/Germany. Professor Dr Björn Schumacher led the workshop, which featured national and international experts from the field of geriatric medicine. The authors have written this discussion paper as a follow-up to the workshop. About the Focus Group Medicine: https://www.leopoldina.org/en/policy-advice/focus-groups/medicine/
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About the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina:
As the German National Academy of Sciences, the Leopoldina provides independent science-based policy advice on matters relevant to society. To this end, the Academy develops interdisciplinary statements based on scientific findings. In these publications, options for action are outlined; making decisions, however, is the responsibility of democratically legitimized politicians. The experts who prepare the statements work in a voluntary and unbiased manner. The Leopoldina represents the German scientific community in the international academy dialogue. This includes advising the annual summits of Heads of State and Government of the G7 and G20 countries. With around 1,700 members from more than 30 countries, the Leopoldina combines expertise from almost all research areas. Founded in 1652, it was appointed the National Academy of Sciences of Germany in 2008. The Leopoldina is committed to the common good.
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