Research
Insufficient sleep may cut life expectancy, with new research finding it is more strongly linked to longevity than diet, exercise or loneliness. The study, conducted by Oregon Health & Science University, compared average life expectancy data with comprehensive survey information collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As a behavioural driver for life [...]
Agetech World explores the latest research developments in the world of ageing and longevity. New organ-on-a-chip platform allows the testing of cancer vaccines in ageing populations A new organ-on-a-chip platform has been developed that recapitulates age-dependent immune responses, offering a more accurate testing bed for evaluating cancer vaccine performance in older adults. Immunosenescence, the natural [...]
Researchers say a molecule from gut bacteria may counter insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes. The study reports that trimethylamine (TMA), made by gut microbes from dietary choline, can block a key immune pathway and improve blood sugar control. Scientists found that TMA acts as a natural inhibitor of IRAK4, a protein that drives inflammation [...]
A diabetes and weight loss drug has been shown to cut brain shrinkage in Alzheimer’s by almost 50 per cent. The drug, liraglutide, is a GLP-1 receptor agonist, a class that copies a gut hormone which helps regulate blood sugar and appetite. The family includes semaglutide, known as Wegovy or Ozempic. In a study involving [...]
GPs are failing to support older people with frailty, with only one in six assessed for the condition in 2024/25. Frailty is a syndrome related to ageing in which body systems lose in-built reserves, causing symptoms such as exhaustion and making people more likely to be housebound. Of the 226,000 patients diagnosed with frailty in [...]
A treatment using particles from stem cells can slow and even reverse aspects of age-related memory decline, new research suggests. The study found that tiny vesicles, small sacs released by bone marrow stem cells, helped maintain memory and improved communication between brain areas over two years in an experimental model. Researchers at Boston University worked [...]
High-quality marriages may help protect against obesity by shaping communication between the brain and gut, new research suggests. The study is described as the first to show how social bonds influence weight and eating behaviours through an integrated pathway involving brain activity, metabolism and oxytocin, sometimes called “the love hormone”. The findings suggest relationship quality [...]
Obesity may speed up Alzheimer's progression, with blood tests detecting early effects more sensitively than PET brain scans, new research suggests. The analysis tracked 407 people over five years, using blood samples and PET scans to spot signs of the disease. PET (positron emission tomography) measures amyloid plaques, sticky protein clumps in the brain, while [...]
A protein-blocking injection triggered cartilage regeneration in old mice, raising hopes for a future alternative to knee replacement surgery. The treatment targets 15-PGDH, a protein that rises with age and contributes to tissue decline. Researchers call such age-linked enzymes “gerozymes”, master regulators of ageing. Blocking 15-PGDH thickened knee cartilage across the joint surface in older [...]
Microdoses of weight loss drugs like Ozempic could slow ageing and increase longevity, according to new research in mice. The study found that exenatide, a drug with similar chemical make-up to Ozempic, produced molecular changes in mice that opposed typical patterns seen with ageing across multiple organs. Scientists treated mice starting at 11 months of [...]
