On October 2nd, 2014, The Independent sited two distinguished AFAR grantees: AFAR’s Deputy Scientific Director and two-time grant award recipient, Nir Barzilai, M.D., and 2003 AFAR Research Award and 2008 Julie Martin Mid-Career Award in Aging Research recipient, Brian Kennedy, Ph.D.
Dr. Barzilai and Dr. Kennedy commented on three drugs that have already been approved for human use for various ailments and have improved immunity response and increased lifespan in animal models. For example, the type 2 diabetes medicine Metformin has been shown to extend the average lifespan of small animals by 5 percent and is believed to be safe and ready for human testing.
If Dr. Barzilai and Dr. Kennedy’s predictions are correct, there may be drugs already on the market that can postpone or decrease some of the health related decline associated with old age.
Dr. Nir Barzilai is a Professor in the Albert Einstein College of Medicine Departments of Medicine and Genetics, the Ingeborg and Ira Leon Rennert Chair in Aging Research, and the Director of the college’s Institute for Aging Research.
Dr. Brian Kennedy is the President and CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging.
For further insights on longevity and theories of aging, visit AFAR’s online resource, InfoAging.org.
