On March 21, 2025, Scientific American published a special issue exploring healthspan and advances in the field of aging research. AFAR-affiliated experts and projects are highlighted across several articles.
In the article “The Healthspan Paradigm” AFAR Scientific Director Steve Austad, PhD, and AFAR Grantee Matt Kaeberlein, PhD, shared insights on advancement in various areas of aging research.
Dr. Kaeberlein also authored the article, “A Practical Approach to Healthspan Medicine”, spotlighting current approaches focused on extending healthspan and treating or delaying age-related diseases.
The article “Is Human Aging Reversible?” co-authored by AFAR Grantee Gordon Lithgow, PhD, highlighted the upcoming AFAR-managed TAME (Targeting Aging with Metformin) Trial, which will research the impact of metformin to provide proof-of-concept that aging can be targeted like a disease.
The article “How Old are You Really?” authored by Cristofalo Award winner Morgan Levine, PhD, explores the differences between biological aging and chronological aging and how it affects healthspan and lifespan.
The issue also features an article “The Healthspan Economy,” authored by longevity global economist and author of the book, The Longevity Imperative, Andrew J. Scott, DPhil, who AFAR has featured in our Ask the Expert Interview series and a special briefing, “How Realistic is a 100-year Life Expectancy, and Why Does it Matter?”.
In addition to being AFAR’s Scientific Director, Dr. Austad is the 2011 Irving S. Wright Award of Distinction recipient and the Inaugural George M. Martin Award recipient. He is the founding director of UAB’s Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging, and co-director of the UAB Integrative Center for Aging Research, as well as the Co-Principal Investigator of the Nathan Shock Centers Coordinating Center.
Dr. Kaeberlein is a 2006 Glenn Foundation for Medical Research and AFAR Grants for Junior Faculty recipient, and a 2007 Glenn Foundation for Medical Research Breakthroughs in Gerontology (BIG) Award recipient. He is also the 2011 recipient of AFAR’s Vincent Cristofalo Rising Star Award in Aging Research.
Dr. Levine is the 2021 Vincent Cristofalo Rising Star Award in Aging Research recipient and has served as a member of the National Scientific Advisory Council (NSAC) since 2020. She is a Vice President of Computation at Altos Labs and a former professor in the School of Medicine at Yale University.
Dr. Lithgow is a 2006 Glenn Foundation for Medical Research Breakthroughs in Gerontology (BIG) Award recipient. He is also a professor at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging.
The full issue, produced with support from The Buck Institute for Research on Aging, is available here.
