Tohoku University founds new aging research center to extend healthy lifespans

To extend the healthy lifespan (healthspan) of Japanese people, Tohoku University is connecting basic research on aging to social implementation, such as clinical practice. The university has launched the HealthSpan Research Center (HeSReC) to close the approximately 10-year gap between average life expectancy and healthy life expectancy.

In addition to building an inter-departmental research and development system that bridges basic and clinical research, the center aims to create methods for extending healthy lifespan based on scientific evidence by making full use of internal resources and AI.

Director Hideki Katagiri of the center (Vice President for Medical Innovation Promotion), said, "After solving bottlenecks in aging research, such as biomarkers to measure aging, we will overcome the 'Valley of Death' and connect it to society. Within a few years, we hope to launch clinics for private medical care and collaborate with companies to achieve social implementation."

To increase healthy life expectancy, we must create innovative interventions based on scientific evidence. However, aging research takes time, such as three years per cycle even in mice, and it is difficult to elucidate the mechanism because various factors are involved. In addition, biomarkers, which are objective indicators to measure the state of aging, are unknown, making clinical studies on human subjects difficult. Furthermore, because it is not a therapeutic drug, the hurdles for regulatory approval are high and the entry requirements of pharmaceutical companies are severe.

Therefore, the center was established to build a research and development system that seamlessly links basic science to social implementation. The center consists of the Basic Healthspan Research Division (8 fields), which integrates basic research from across the university, and the Clinical and Translational Healthspan Research Division (12 fields), which connects research to clinical practice. It brings together experts in aging research to build an inter-departmental research system where basic and applied research are strongly linked. Currently, 40 researchers from each organization are connected virtually, but they will be brought together physically in a life science building that is under construction.

"I am looking for ways to connect basic research to clinical practice by having researchers in each field provide information to each other. We will proceed while engaging in discussions" added Katagiri.

The center is pursuing three initiatives. First, it will use AI to comprehensively analyze data obtained from the 150,000-person cohort data of the Tohoku University Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, the 810,000 clinical records from Tohoku University Hospital, and biological samples (blood, breath, etc.) to discover new indicators to objectively evaluate aging status.

At the same time, it will find a new algorithm to calculate a comprehensive biological age from fundus photographs, focusing on information such as opacity and central reflexes affected by aging and blood vessels affected by arteriosclerosis. Katagiri said, "Individual aging and organ-specific aging are different, so it is necessary to find the indicators for each."

Then, based on the results of aging research to date, the center will find new interventions to extend healthy life expectancy.

"Cohort studies have shown that high blood glucose levels one hour after glucose loading lead to a significantly higher mortality rate from arteriosclerosis 10 years later and a higher mortality rate from malignant tumors 20 years later. We will elucidate this mechanism and develop methods to extend healthy lifespans. We will also proceed with the development of exercise methods for the prevention of frailty and to promote healthy longevity" Katagiri continued.

The center will deliver to society new technologies that suppress aging. One project already underway is the XPRIZE Healthspan, the world's largest longevity research competition (with a total prize of 15 billion yen). Two Tohoku University research teams (there are six teams in all in Japan) have passed the selection process and are aiming to make the top 10. They are Professor Toshio Miyata's senescent cell eliminator (oral) and Professor Keisuke Goda's super-exosomes with rejuvenating effects.

In addition to various tests, such as AI-based organ aging prediction, assessments of metabolism, physical strength, and muscle function, and hematopoietic stem cell aging gene analysis, the private medical care clinic will conduct tests and interventions based on future original research results, personalized exercise, personalized nutritional guidance, and anti-aging guidance (diagnosis, prevention, and intervention).

President Teiji Tominaga said, "A major mission of a University for International Research Excellence is to generate social value by implementing intellectual value in society. Extending healthy lifespan connects the basic research that has been cultivated for many years at institutions, such as the Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer to social value. It is exactly in line with our mission. Although this is a type of center that has not existed in Japan until now, it is receiving international attention and is an area of high national interest. We will support it university-wide, and we want to open up a society where everyone can live lively lives in their own way until the end."