We round up the latest news in agetech research and innovation, from a human trial in ‘reverse ageing’ to the launch of a domestic longevity pod.

Approval has been secured in the United States for the first human trial targeting ‘reverse ageing’.

Boston-based company Life Biosciences will shortly commence trials of its ER-100 treatment which aims to treat eye disease through reprogramming cells.

It will initially treat around a dozen patients with glaucomas – a condition where high pressure inside the eye damages the optic nerve.

Each patient will receive injections of three powerful genes into an eye in an attempt to restore host cells to a healthier state by resetting their epigenetic controls.

It is over 20 years since Dr Shinya Yamanaka’s Nobel Prize work was first able to convert adult cells into pluripotent stem cells.

This reverse cell-editing process allows the regenerated cells – just like those found in an early embryo – to develop into the different, specialised cell types.

This trial has been approved by the Food And Drug Administration (FDA) after initial trials on animals proved a success.

Michael Ringel, chief operating officer at Life Biosciences, said: “It’s an incredibly big deal for us as an industry.

“It’ll be the first time in human history, in the millennia of human history, of looking for something that rejuvenates … So watch this space.”

Inherited longevity

New research claims that longevity-inheritability accounts for around 50 per cent of human lifespan.

For many decades, scientists had rated genetics as being a relatively low factor in human lifespan – compared to other inherited traits – at between 10 per cent and 25 per cent.

However, this new study from the Israeli-based Weizmann Institute of Science, presents an entirely different picture.

Led by Ben Shenhar, a PhD student, from the lab of Prof Uri Alon of Weizmann’s Molecular Cell Biology Department, it analysed three large twin databases from Sweden and Denmark – including a dataset of twins who were raised apart.

The researchers showed that earlier heritability estimates were masked by high levels of extrinsic mortality, such as deaths caused by accidents, infections and environmental hazards.

Their findings are consistent with the heritability of other complex human traits and with findings from animal models.

“For many years, human lifespan was thought to be shaped almost entirely by non-genetic factors, which led to considerable skepticism about the role of genetics in ageing and about the feasibility of identifying genetic determinants of longevity,” said Shenhar.

“By contrast, if heritability is high, as we have shown, this creates an incentive to search for gene variants that extend lifespan, in order to understand the biology of aging and, potentially, to address it therapeutically.”

Longevity blood test

In just a few years a simple blood test should be sufficient to gauge one’s anticipated longevity, claims Dr Tan Min-Han, chief executive and medical director of Singapore and Californian-based firm Lucence.

Dr Tan believes people will be able to go to a clinic near them to take a simple blood test that can detect early signs of ageing.

The results could guide lifestyle changes, such as sleep, diet and exercise, to improve key biomarkers and slow physical decline.

Lucence was founded in 2016 as a spin-off from Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research. While incorporated and headquartered in Singapore, the company also maintains a co-headquarters in Palo Alto, California.

Since then, it has secured more than US$80m in equity funding, including US$20m in a 2019 funding round led by IHH Healthcare.

He said: “Blood tests are more acceptable and accessible as opposed to uncomfortable procedures like mammograms and colonoscopies. I believe that technology could make a lot of this better.

“Five years ago, being able to detect cancers from blood tests was science fiction. But now, we have made that a reality.”

Longevity pod

A domestic longevity pod known as the E-Salt Cabin has been launched by Eleve Health, a California-based wellness technology company

Roughly the size of a compact car – at just over eight and a half feet long – the pod combines four core therapies: halotherapy, red light therapy, oxygen delivery, and aromatherapy.

Halotherapy disperses a fine, mineral-rich mist designed to support respiratory health. Red light therapy stimulates cellular repair and regeneration. Oxygen delivery aims to improve circulation and energy levels. And custom essential oil blends add a sensory layer

The company says it can be used as a tool to ‘support circulation, clarity, and recovery within a residential setting’.

Eleve said: “The pod reflects a broader shift among ultra-high-net-worth homeowners, with wearable technology, circadian lighting, biophilic interiors, and curated soundscapes becoming standard.”

Up to four in ten cancer cases worldwide could be prevented, a new global analysis has found.

The study examines 30 preventable causes, including tobacco, alcohol, high body mass index, physical inactivity, air pollution, ultraviolet radiation and, for the first time, nine infections that can cause the disease.

Released ahead of World Cancer Day on 4 February, the analysis from the World Health Organization (WHO) and its International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) estimates that 37 per cent of all new cancer cases in 2022, around 7.1 million cases, were linked to preventable causes.

Drawing on data from 185 countries and 36 cancer types, the study identifies tobacco as the leading preventable cause of cancer, globally responsible for 15 per cent of all new cancer cases, followed by infections (10 per cent) and alcohol consumption (3 per cent).

Three cancer types, lung, stomach and cervical cancer, accounted for nearly half of all preventable cancer cases in both men and women globally.

Lung cancer was primarily linked to smoking and air pollution, stomach cancer was largely attributable to Helicobacter pylori infection (a bacterial infection of the stomach lining), and cervical cancer was overwhelmingly caused by human papillomavirus (HPV).

Dr André Ilbawi, team lead for cancer control at WHO and author of the study, said: “This is the first global analysis to show how much cancer risk comes from causes we can prevent.

“By examining patterns across countries and population groups, we can provide governments and individuals with more specific information to help prevent many cancer cases before they start.”

The burden of preventable cancer was substantially higher in men than in women, with 45 per cent of new cancer cases in men compared with 30 per cent in women.

In men, smoking accounted for an estimated 23 per cent of all new cancer cases, followed by infections at 9 per cent and alcohol at 4 per cent.

Among women globally, infections accounted for 11 per cent of all new cancer cases, followed by smoking at 6 per cent and high body mass index at 3 per cent.

Dr Isabelle Soerjomataram, deputy head of the IARC Cancer Surveillance Unit and senior author of the study, said: “This landmark study is a comprehensive assessment of preventable cancer worldwide, incorporating for the first time infectious causes of cancer alongside behavioural, environmental and occupational risks.

“Addressing these preventable causes represents one of the most powerful opportunities to reduce the global cancer burden.”

Preventable cancer varied widely between regions.

Among women, preventable cancers ranged from 24 per cent in North Africa and West Asia to 38 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa.

Among men, the highest burden was observed in East Asia at 57 per cent, and the lowest in Latin America and the Caribbean at 28 per cent.

These differences reflect varying exposure to behavioural, environmental, occupational and infectious risk factors, as well as differences in socioeconomic development, national prevention policies and health system capacity.

A 25-year Swedish study links higher cheese intake to lower Alzheimer’s risk in people without known genetic risk, with cream also tied to lower dementia risk.

However, researchers emphasise that the results should be interpreted with caution.

The study tracked 27,670 people over 25 years.

During that time, 3,208 participants were diagnosed with dementia.

Among individuals without a known genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease, those who consumed more than 50 grams of full-fat cheese per day showed a 13 to 17 per cent lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

This association did not appear in participants who carried genetic risk factors for the disease.

People who consumed more than 20 grams of full-fat cream per day also showed a lower risk of dementia overall, ranging from 16 to 24 per cent.

No meaningful links were found for low-fat or high-fat milk, fermented or non-fermented milk, or low-fat cream.

The results stand out because public health guidance has long encouraged people to choose low-fat dairy to protect heart health.

This connection matters because cardiovascular disease (conditions affecting the heart and blood vessels) and dementia share many underlying risk factors, including high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.

When evidence from previous studies is combined, analyses suggest that cheese consumption may also be linked to a lower risk of heart disease, and that full-fat dairy does not necessarily increase cardiovascular risk.

Several other studies have explored whether similar patterns apply to brain health, but the results are mixed.

Evidence overall suggests that studies conducted in Asian populations are more likely to report benefits of dairy consumption for cognitive health (the ability to think, remember and reason), while many European studies do not.

One possible explanation is that average dairy intake tends to be much lower in Asian countries, meaning modest consumption may have different effects than higher intakes.

For example, one Japanese study reported a reduced dementia risk among people who ate cheese, but overall consumption levels were very low and the research was sponsored by a cheese producer.

In contrast, another Japanese study funded by government grants found no protective effect of cheese.

Some long-term European studies have also reported benefits.

In a Finnish study of 2,497 middle-aged men followed for 22 years, cheese was the only food associated with a lower dementia risk, reduced by 28 per cent.

Other dietary factors also appear to matter.

Higher consumption of milk and processed red meat was associated with worse performance on cognitive tests, while fish intake was linked to better results.

A large study in the UK that followed nearly 250,000 people found lower dementia risk among those who ate fish two to four times a week, fruit daily and cheese once a week.

However, these studies have important limitations.

What people eat is usually self-reported, and changes in memory can affect both eating habits and how accurately people remember what they have eaten. To deal with this, the Swedish researchers took two extra steps.

First, they excluded anyone who already had dementia when the study began.

Then they repeated the same calculations after removing people who went on to develop dementia within the first ten years of the study.

This did not mean starting the study again or recruiting new participants. It simply meant re-checking the results using a smaller group of people who remained dementia-free for longer.

The reason for doing this is that the early stages of dementia can subtly change behaviour long before diagnosis.

People may eat differently, lose appetite or struggle to recall their usual diet. By focusing on participants who stayed cognitively healthy for many years, the researchers reduced the chance that these early changes were influencing the results.

Another important question is whether substitution played a role.

Some of the apparent benefits may reflect replacing red or processed meat with cheese or cream, rather than an effect of dairy itself.

Supporting this idea, the Swedish study found no association between full-fat dairy and dementia risk among participants whose diets remained stable over five years.

Most importantly, foods should not be considered in isolation.

Dietary patterns matter more than individual ingredients. Diets such as the Mediterranean diet, which is consistently associated with lower risks of both dementia and heart disease, include cheese alongside vegetables, fish, whole grains and fruit.

In the Swedish study, people who consumed more full-fat cheese and cream were also more educated, less likely to be overweight and had lower rates of conditions linked to dementia, including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and diabetes.

All of these factors independently reduce dementia risk.

This suggests that higher cheese intake tended to occur within healthier overall lifestyles, rather than alongside excess calorie consumption or poor metabolic health.

Overall, the evidence does not support the idea that full-fat dairy causes dementia, nor that fermented milk products reliably protect against it.

Full-fat cheese contains several nutrients relevant to brain health, including fat-soluble vitamins A, D and K2, as well as vitamin B12, folate, iodine, zinc and selenium.

These nutrients play roles in neurological function and may help support cognitive health.

That said, the data do not justify eating large amounts of cheese or cream as protective foods against dementia or heart disease.

The most consistent message remains that balanced diets, moderation and overall lifestyle matter far more than any single item on the cheese board.