Lisbon, Portugal • May 4-5, 2023

SCIENCE

Thursday, May 4  | 10:40 – 11:20 | Auditorium

Aging of the Human Immune System

by Eric Verdin, President & CEO of Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA, USA

I will review recente progress in the study of the aging immune system with a focus on senescence and epigenetic regulation.

Thursday, May 4  | 10:40 – 11:20 | Auditorium

A breakthrough in immune aging

by Chris Rinsch, PhD, CEO and Co-founder of Amazentis, Lausanne, Switzerland

Thursday, May 4  | 16:00 – 16:20 | Auditorium

IgG glycans are biomarkers and modifiable functional effectors of disease risk

by Gordan Lauc, PhD, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry and Genos Glycoscience Research Laboratory, Zagreb, Croatia

The majority of proteins that evolved after appearance of multicellular life are glycosylated and glycans significantly affect structure and function of these proteins. However, due to structural complexity of glycans and the absence of a direct genetic template, the analysis of protein glycosylation is much more complicated than the analysis of DNA or proteins. Consequently, the knowledge about the importance of individual variation in glycans for both normal physiological processes and diseases is still limited. By generating glycomic data for over 150,000 individuals from some of the best characterized clinical and epidemiological cohorts we enabled glycomics to meet other ‘omics. Changes in glycosylation have been observed in numerous diseases, often even before other symptoms of a disease appeared, indicating that they may reflect early steps in the molecular pathophysiology of many complex diseases. Glycans are not only biomarkers, but also functional effectors that modulate protein function and initial data from intervention studies and animal models suggest that reversing changes in glycosylation may decrease the disease risk.

Thursday, May 4  | 16:40 – 17:00 | Auditorium

Big data and the science of ageing

by João Pedro Magalhães, Principal Investigator, Genomics of Ageing and Rejuvenation Lab, Birmingham, UK

Age-related conditions are the leading causes of death and healthcare costs. Retarding the ageing process would have enormous medical and financial benefits. A large number of genes and drugs extending lifespan in model organisms already exist, yet given long validation times, only a small fraction of them can be explored for humans clinical applications. Therefore, prioritizing drugs and gene targets is imperative. In this talk, I will present big data and machine learning approaches for predicting longevity genes and compounds, which we validated experimentally. I will also present integrative, multi-dimensional approaches that provide insights into longevity pathways and their role in age-related diseases. Overall, our data-driven approaches allow us to identify and prioritize further compounds with potential healthy longevity properties.

Thursday, May 4  | 17:00 – 17:20 | Auditorium

Fundamental Biomedical Research, Interdisciplinary and Longevity

by Cláudia Cavadas, Vice Rector, Research, University of Coimbra, Director of the Institute of Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra , Head of the Neuroendocrinology and Aging Group, Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology of the University of Coimbra (CNC-UC), Coimbra, Portugal

Thursday, May 4  | 17:40 – 18:00 | Auditorium

The Aging Yellow Brick Road: Role of In Utero Mitochondrial Programming

by Paulo J. Oliveira, Group Leader and Vice-President, CNC - Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Portugal

The natural process of aging is accompanied by an increased incidence of chronic and acute diseases. Several key time-points in human life can determine the rates of tissue aging, directly impacting the pathophysiology of different diseases. This talk will highlight our research on in utero programming of human aging rates and impact on the development of different diseases, as well as highlight the critical role of mitochondria as one important regulator of the aging process and target for interventions to delay its related complications.

Friday, May 5  | 09:30 – 09:50 | Auditorium

Rejuvenation Biotechnology: Is the Finish Line in Sight?

by Aubrey de Grey, PhD, Co-Founder of Methuselah Foundation, Mountain View, CA, USA

Friday, May 5  | 13:30 – 13:50 | Auditorium

The Economic and Societal Landscape of Longevity Science

by Jim Mellon, Chairman of Burnbrae Group, Chairman and Co-Founder of Juvenescence

An examination of how the industry is evolving, its challenges and public perceptions.

Friday, May 5  | 13:50 – 14:10 | Auditorium

Ageing: Modelling and Potential Intervations

by Lino Ferreira, Coordinator Investigator at Faculty of Medicine, Director of “Advanced Therapy” research group, Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology of University of Coimbra (CNC-UC), Coordinator of Colab4Ageing, Coimbra, Portugal

Friday, May 5  | 15:50 – 16:10 | Auditorium

Intracellular communication and longevity

by Nuno Raimundo, Group Leader at Multidisciplinary Institute of Ageing (MIA-Portugal) University of Coimbra, Portugal

In this conference I will share the findings of my laboratory that explore and explain the communication between organelles within the cells, giving an overall picture of the physiology and opportunities to promote healthy longevity and its relevance to tackle age-related pathology.