Older adults and people with serious medical conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, and lung disease, are at higher risk of getting very sick from COVID-19. Immune function declines as we age, but research has shown that these aging processes can be targeted. Promising therapeutics called “geroprotectors,” hold the potential to boost immunity and lessen the severity of infectious diseases like COVID-19.
As the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps the nation and the world, the role that geroscience may play in boosting immunity in older adults and lessening the severity of age-related diseases holds promise.
On March 24, 2020, AFAR hosted a a webinar to explore these issues featuring
a panel of leading experts.
The the webinar:
- Provided an epidemiological update on COVID-19 in older adults and explain special health care considerations for older people;
- Connected how the biological processes of aging influence inflammation and immune decline and how the severity of age-related diseases can be diminished through strategies that target the biology of aging; and
- Presented the latest information on promising geroprotectors, including metformin and mTOR inhibitors.
Presenters included:
- Sean Leng, MD, PhD - Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 2006 AFAR Beeson Scholar
- Nir Barzilai, MD - AFAR Scientific Director; Director, Institute for Aging Research, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
- George Kuchel, MD, FRCP, AGSF - Director and Chief of Geriatric Medicine, UConn Center on Aging
- Joan Mannick, MD - Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer, resTORbio
