On October 29th, 2024, Nature Communications published research co-authored by AFAR Grantee Daniel Promislow, PhD, showcasing a novel method for studying healthspan using fruit flies as models. Researchers employed advanced machine learning and systems biology techniques to analyze and correlate data sets from both fruit flies and humans, identifying key metabolites that influence longevity and healthspan in both species. Notably, the study highlighted the amino acid threonine may hold promise as a therapeutic to target the biology of aging.
The summary states:
“Dietary restriction (DR) is a potent method to enhance lifespan and health-span, but individual responses are influenced by genetic variations. Under-standing how metabolism-related genetic differences impact longevity and healthspan are unclear. To investigate this, we used metabolites as markers to reveal how different genotypes respond to diet to influence longevity and healthspan traits… Notably, orotate was linked to parental age at death in humans and blocked the DR lifespan extension in flies, while threonine supplementation extended lifespan, in a strain- and sex-specific manner. Thus, utilizing natural genetic variation data from flies and humans, we employed a systems biology approach to elucidate potential therapeutic pathways and metabolomic targets for diet-dependent changes in lifespan and healthspan.”
Dr. Promislow is a 1998 Glenn Foundation for Medical Research and AFAR Grants for Junior Faculty recipient and a 2010 Glenn Foundation for Medical Research Breakthroughs in Gerontology (BIG) Award recipient.
Read the article “Systems Biology Approaches Identify Metabolic Signatures of Dietary Lifespan and Healthspan Across Species” here.
