What is Aging?

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Aging is a highly complex process influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Broadly defined, it is the gradual decline in physiological and molecular homeostasis that occurs in all living organisms after reaching sexual maturity. This decline compromises overall health and eventually leads to death. Aging impacts all levels of biological organization, ranging from molecules (such as DNA and proteins) to organelles, cells, tissues, organs, and entire organisms.​

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Impact of Aging on Healthcare System Costs Over the Last 20 Years

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Aging populations have significantly impacted healthcare systems worldwide, leading to rising costs and increased demand for medical services.​ For example the U.S. experienced a steady rise in healthcare costs due to the growing number of elderly citizens. Medicare spending, primarily catering to older adults, has increased by over 40% in the last two decades.​ In European countries like Germany, Italy, and France, healthcare spending as a percentage of GDP (Gross domestic product) has risen significantly, with aging being a primary factor. Long-term care services have seen a marked expansion.​​​ In Japan, with one of the world's oldest populations, allocates over 10% of its GDP to healthcare, predominantly driven by elderly care.

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A plot illustrating healthcare expenditure as a percentage of GDP due to aging populations in different world regions

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Social Consequences of Aging and Lifespan Increases

 

• Economic Challenges:

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• Workforce Decline: Aging populations reduce the active workforce, impacting productivity and economic growth.​

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• Pension Strain: Longer lifespans increase pressure on pension systems, requiring higher contributions or reforms.

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• Social Dynamics:

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• Intergenerational Dependency: Aging alters family structures, increasing reliance on younger generations for care.

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• Healthcare and Housing: Societies face heightened demands for eldercare services and accessible housing.

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• Cultural Impact

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• Ageism: Societal attitudes toward older adults can lead to discrimination.

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• Knowledge Transfer: The elderly can serve as valuable repositories of knowledge and tradition.

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Causes of Aging

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To study aging at the cellular level, researchers have identified several "hallmarks of aging" that vary in abundance and integrity as organisms age. Primary hallmarks, such as DNA methylation changes, genome instability, and telomere shortening, are considered fundamental causes of downstream aging effects. DNA methylation changes include global hypomethylation and CpG island hypermethylation in gene promoters, leading to decreased or silenced expression of youth-associated genes, which disrupts cellular homeostasis. Epigenetic changes can result in transcriptional errors, often due to failures in repair mechanisms such as DNMTs, TETs, or BER pathways. Genomic instability, characterized by somatic mutations, chromosomal rearrangements, and oxidative damage, also drives aging by promoting cell senescence, cancer, and aging-related diseases. Transposable element reactivation and chromosomal aneuploidy further contribute to genome instability, while telomere shortening exacerbates these effects. Another critical hallmark is impaired proteostasis, marked by declining chaperone expression, reduced autophagy, and proteasome activity, leading to protein aggregation linked to neurodegenerative diseases. Together, these hallmarks culminate in systemic aging phenotypes such as stem cell exhaustion and chronic inflammation, underlying the complexity of the aging process.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overview  of the hallmarks of aging

 

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​Here we aim to use our proprietary symbiotic therapy system to treat adult mice and NHP animal models. In particular the symbiotic particles injected under host skin will release over time a cocktail of therapeutic agents with a known anti-aging effect in scientific literature, at low and constant rates. These therapeutic agents will slow down the aging process and the readout will be measured by using biological clocks (e.g. Methylation clocks or Proteomic clocks) as well as multimorbidity indices.​

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