From the Editor
Eve Herold
Editor-in-Chief
Each month as I decide what news and analysis to include in the Compass, I’m faced with an embarrassment of riches. New discoveries potentially affecting healthspan seem to issue forth at such a rate that I’m forced to make brutal value judgments, and some interesting things, alas, end up on the cutting floor. But—reality check—this is a good problem to have. This issue is brimming with tantalizing discoveries that could improve and extend healthspan. Read on for news about an announcement from Germany’s National Academy of Sciences calling for a reorientation of their healthcare system, a new development in CAR-T therapies, a new discovery about limb regeneration (axolotls strike again!), and new evidence of how aging becomes systemic. Follow that up with a report on body mass index as an arbiter of health and read about the Silver Anniversary of the groundbreaking Human Genome Project. Last but not least, we share the essay of one of HSAC’s interns, a budding scientist who asks an interesting question.
Is Aging a Disease?
Scientists and philosophers are still wrangling with the answer to that question, but many think that treating it as a disease would have major benefits in extending the healthspan. The concept, which is one of the pillars of Healthspan Action Coalition policy, would be a powerful prevention (or significant delay) in a host of the age-related diseases that diminish vitality later in life. Leopoldina, Germany’s National Academy of Sciences, has announced a policy paper that calls for a total recalibration of its health system, turning to a focus on disease prevention through delaying the aging process, according to longevity.technology. Make no mistake: this proposal to remake the German scientific and healthcare system is a seismic change, and one that, if widely adopted, could radically transform the landscape for all nations that face the double whammy of aging populations and falling birth rates. We applaud this landmark development.
Weaponizing CAR-T Cells Against Cancer
CAR-T treatments, which use modified immune cells to attack blood cancers, have gotten a lot of ink in recent years for their ability to fight blood disorders such as leukemia. But what about other cancers? Can these cells provide treatments for conditions that entail solid, tough-to-dissolve tumors? According to a team of Chinese researchers who ran a clinical trial involving 156 patients with gastric cancer, they can. In a paper published in The Lancet, they reported that they took cells from the patients and modified them to recognize and destroy a stubborn protein in tumor tissue called CLDN18.2 for 104 patients. The results: they doubled the lifespan of the patients. There were some moderate-to-severe side effects in almost all of the study subjects, most notably a dangerous immune system over-reaction caused by a storm of cytokine release, but symptoms were manageable through conventional medical treatment. More research is needed, but this trial demonstrates that the widely lauded CAR-T cells hold the potential to treat other types of cancer beyond the blood.
Not Just a Pretty Face
Axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum) have more than their cute looks going for them. The small, amphibious creatures, which resemble pinkish salamanders and always look like they’re smiling, have the ability to regenerate whole limbs in the event of injury. This is thanks to specialized cells that “know” just which part needs to be regenerated, and where. In a paper published in Nature Communications, researchers at Northeastern University and the University of Kentucky report that they’ve identified a molecule—retinoic acid—that’s distributed throughout the bodies of axolotls in varying amounts that cue regenerative cells to spring into action, regrowing severed limbs. Could humans harness this ability, given that we too harbor retinoic acid cells? One danger would be the body’s cells triggering haphazard regeneration, resulting in a bizarre mishmash of limbs and tissues, but the humble axolotl has solved this problem by creating the proper ratio of retinoic acid to an enzyme that dissolves it, preventing overgrowth. In addition, the creature’s distribution of retinoic acid appears in gradations, with more of it close to the body and a diminishing amount along the limbs so that they harbor the right amount of it to grow just the missing part and no more. Regenerated axolotl limbs contain the right cell types to compose the limb since combinations of cells work together to form nerve, muscle, tendon and other vital tissues to create a working limb. What other tricks might the axolotl have up its figurative sleeve?
How Does Aging Spread Throughout the Body?
The aging process still holds manifold mysteries. While recent discoveries have shown that different organs and tissues age at different rates within an individual, the overall process is systemic. How does this process spread throughout the body? New evidence confirms the role of toxic molecules secreted by senescent cells in inducing senescence in surrounding cells, but also the role of blood in circulating a redox-sensitive protein called ReHMGB1. The protein, carried in blood, spreads aging signals throughout the body. A new mouse study published in the journal Metabolism—Clinical and Experimental showed that high levels of ReHMGB1 induce senescence in multiple cell types that humans share with mice, including fibroblasts, skeletal muscle cells and renal epithelial cells, and that blocking the protein had an anti-aging effect. In the study, conducted by a team from Korea University College of Medicine and led by Ok Hee Jeon, blocking the protein reduced senescent cells and signaling molecules, and led to enhanced muscle regeneration after injury. Questions abound about whether blocking the protein in humans would reverse aging, and whether there are other molecules implicated in aging that could lead to anti-aging drugs.
Is BMI What it’s Cracked Up to Be?
Measuring body mass index has become standard protocol for almost any doctor’s visit these days, and for good reason. According to the latest figures from the CDC, 40.3% of Americans are obese, an issue that heightens their risk of cancers, type 2 diabetes and heart disease and stroke, all major culprits that can sabotage healthspan. But is measuring BMI the best way to predict an individual’s health risks? In fact, it’s a blunt instrument that doesn’t take into account key factors like muscle-to-fat ratio, fluid retention, and the size of one’s frame. And it overlooks age, which is characterized by muscle loss, fluid retention and other conditions. An older person might be deemed to have a healthy BMI when in fact they have an unhealthy amount of fat, whereas a tall person with a small frame might be misdiagnosed as underweight. As reported in CNN, there’s a much better way to determine body composition—a tool called biometrical impedance analysis, or BIA. The technique involves a machine resembling a weight scale that sends a weak electrical signal through the entire body, revealing volumes (literally) about a person’s true body mass all the way down to intracellular and intercellular fluid, and predicts risks for disease. The body’s major tissues such as muscle and bone, plus fat and fluid all have different levels of impedance to electrical signals, which can be measured and then analyzed by an algorithm to determine true body composition. The reason this isn’t widely used in the clinic is the cost of the machine, which can cost upwards of $50,000, while BMI measurement is cheap and easy. But we’re cheering for the BIA technology, which could have a major role in predicting health risks and help patients make personalized changes that could extend the healthspan.
The Human Genome Project 25 Years Later
In a time of huge cuts to U.S. research, the Human Genome Project stands as a stunning example of progress in biomedical research and medicine. On June 26, 2000, President Clinton, flanked by J. Craig Venter of Celera Genomics and NIH director Francis Collins, announced the completion of the first draft of the HGP from the oval office. It’s almost impossible to overestimate the fundamental shift in research and medicine since this watershed event. The knowledge mined has opened the door to CRISPR, personalized diagnosis and treatments, and the rapid development of drugs and vaccines that have saved millions of lives worldwide. It has spawned a huge increase in the number of biotech companies and the vast array of research targets being studied. The current landscape would be impossible without the transformative effect of the HGP. Not only that, the economic return has been astronomical, according to Francis Collins, who estimates that the $3 billion investment of the U.S. spread out over 13 years, has stimulated $1 trillion in economic growth. The current issue of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News is devoted to assessing the fundamental effect of the HGP based on the reflections of Venter, Collins, and leaders of multiple biotech companies about the multifarious outcomes of decoding the human genome. While genomic analysis is still ongoing and has been dramatically boosted by AI, we have the moon-shot vision of the HGP to thank for catapulting us into a future where new diagnoses and treatments are possible.
An HSAC Intern Asks:
Are There Generatonal or Cultural Differences in the Way We Approach Healthspan?
As part of HSAC’s mission of nurturing the next generation of scientists, our intern program for high school students, led by Melissa King, COO, is nothing less than an inspiration. We’ve had several super-smart, motivated and creative interns who are passionately interested in extending the healthspan. This issue, we share a report completed by Arundhathi Jathin, a rising junior living in Valencia, CA, in which she reports on interviews she conducted among people of different generations and ethnic backgrounds see if these factors influence approaches to healthspan. Her results profile the lifestyle habits of a very diverse group of friends and family and reflects the practices of people in her orbit who are keenly interested in extending their healthspan.
UPCOMING ENDORSED CONFERENCES & EVENTS
OCTOBER 25-28, 2025
Healthspan Action Coalition Member
Endorsed Conference
Cord Blood Connect
San Diego 2025
October 25-28, 2025
San Diego, California
The Cord Blood Association (CBA) is thrilled to host the 2025 Cord Blood Connect meeting in conjunction with the AABB Annual Meeting!
NOVEMBER 13-16, 2025
Healthspan Action Coalition Member
Endorsed Conference
Eudēmonia Summit
2025
November 13-16, 2025
At the Hilton in West Palm Beach
An unparalleled lineup of experts on the frontiers of health and longevity, a wide range of daily classes, workouts and treatments, and interactive exhibits from cutting-edge brands.