There are many ways to fight aging. Results of the third international conference "Genetics of aging and longevity"

Abstract

The 3rd International Conference "Genetics of Aging and Longevity" was held in Sochi, Russia, April 6 to 10, 2014, which was attended by over 300 delegates from 18 countries. Apart from 50 oral presentations given by world-leading gerontologists and an extensive poster session, four round tables dedicated to the development and integration of aging theories, the development of personalized medicine, and attracting venture capital to research were held. The conference participants signed an open letter to the World Health Organization with the appeal to organize the worldwide collection and integration of data on age-related diseases. The conference clearly demonstrated the progress in investigation of aging and the development of technologies for intervention in this process. In particular, identification of somatic mutations and DNA damages in individual cells has become possible; reliable markers of biological age have been characterized; many genes, alleles, processes, metabolites, intestinal bacteria, and external factors that influence the aging rate have been identified; online databases of age-related changes as well as the genomes of long-lived individuals and long-lived animal species have been generated. Preclinical trials of pharmacological agents that are likely capable of slowing aging, such as nicotinamide riboside, selective inhibitors of TORC1, and IGF-1 receptorblocking antibodies, have been carried out. Methods of cultivation and transplantation of artificial organs, targeted delivery of drugs to individual cells and organelles, targeted genome editing, and introduction of artificial chromosomes have been suggested.