The main stated aim of the International Longevity Alliance (ILA) is achieving “healthy longevity for all through scientific research” (https://longevityalliance.org/). To promote this aim, ILA acts as an organization for the advancement of longevity science, and its positive social and humanitarian aspects, producing methodological and policy recommendations for the development of longevity science, as well as a dedicated scientific organization producing original research and scientific reviews and summaries on the subject of aging and healthy longevity.
Both as an organization for the advancement of science and a dedicated scientific organization, ILA promotes the research on healthy longevity by ameliorating degenerative aging processes which are the main risk factors for chronic age-related diseases and disabilities. Under this general objective, ILA advances and conducts research into the methodology and practice of aging intervention, in both the diagnostic aspects (exploring biomarkers and other clinical parameters of aging) and therapeutic aspects (exploring potential therapeutic interventions, such as animal experiments and analysing data on human interventions).
Examples of ILA research activities, both as an organization for the advancement of science and a dedicated scientific organization, have been reported in scientific articles, and scientific conferences, as follows.
Several ILA academic publications have included both the policy research (advancement of science) and original research (science per se). For example, the following articles initiated by ILA experts contribute to the methodology of addressing aging as a medical condition, including policy as well as diagnostic and therapeutic aspects:
Daria Khaltourina, Yuri Matveyev, Aleksey Alekseev, Franco Cortese, Anca Ioviţă. Aging Fits the Disease Criteria of the International Classification of Diseases. Mechanisms of Ageing and Development. 189, 111230, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mad.2020.111230
Editorial. Opening the door to treating ageing as a disease. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. 6 (8), P587, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-8587(18)30214-6
Ilia Stambler. Recognizing degenerative aging as a treatable medical condition: methodology and policy. Aging and Disease. 8(5), 583-589, 2017. https://doi.org/14336/AD.2017.0130
On the other hand, as part of original scientific research, ILA experts (in particular Dr. Edouard Debonneuil, Dr. Dmytro Shytikov and Dr. Anton Kulaga) initiated several test trials of aging-ameliorating (geroprotective) therapies in mice.
The results of ILA-initiated studies of potential geroprotective therapies in mice have been reported in the scientific literature. Thus, a recent study explored the effect of the potential geroprotective drug C60:
Dmytro Shytikov, Iryna Shytikova, Deepak Rohila, Anton Kulaga, Tatiana Dubiley, and Iryna Pishel. Effect of Long-Term Treatment with C60 Fullerenes on the Lifespan and Health Status of CBA/Ca Mice. Rejuvenation Research, 19 May 2021. https://doi.org/10.1089/rej.2020.2403
An additional research study on the use of senolytic drugs for healthy longevity in mice, co-organized by ILA and Leipzig university, is now in the final stages of preparation.
A strong focus of ILA scientific activities has been on developing clinical evaluation criteria for aging and aging-related diseases.
For example, ILA experts, a board member and a scientific advisor (Dr. Ilia Stambler and Dr. Alexey Moskalev) initiated, under ILA affiliation, a special research topic on clinical evaluation criteria of aging and aging-related diseases, in the scientific journal Frontiers in Genetics. 9 scientific articles have been published in this research topic by internationally acclaimed scientists, and a summary by the ILA expert editors is forthcoming.
It is important to emphasize that ILA, though currently head-quartered in France, includes as its federated members the non-profit associations for the promotion of healthy longevity research from around the world. As of July 2021, ILA included 29 non-profit associations from 24 countries as federated members (https://www.longevityforall.org/groups/). The research done by these organizations also contributes to the ILA total scientific contribution as a whole.
For example, the commitment “Quantified Longevity Guide” of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Aging (EIP-AHA) is advanced by the ILA federated members Vetek Association – the Movement for Longevity and Quality of Life, and Israeli Longevity Alliance.
Additional commitments in the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Aging (EIP-AHA) are advanced by the ILA federated members: Longevite & Sante (France) and Gesellschaft für Gesundes Altern und Prävention – (e. V.) (The Society for Healthy Aging and Prevention/HEALES Germany)
And yet some other academic works by ILA experts mainly focus on the advancement of longevity science, via science policy and activism, such as:
Stambler I and Milova E. Longevity activism. In: The Encyclopedia of Gerontology and Population Aging, Springer, 2019, edited by Matthew Dupre and Danan Gu. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69892-2_395-1
Stambler I. “The Longevity Movement Building”; “Outreach Materials for Longevity Promotion”. In: Longevity Promotion: Multidisciplinary Perspectives. Longevity History, 2017. ISBN: 1974324265. http://www.longevityhistory.com/longevity-movement-building/
In the recent period, ILA experts participated in developing and promoting position papers and other outreach materials focusing specifically on the need to improve the underlying health of older persons to minimize the risks of COVID-19, including:
“Geroscience in the Age of COVID-19”. Aging and Disease. 11(4), 725-729, 2020. https://doi.org/10.14336/AD.2020.0629
“WHO must prioritise the needs of older people in its response to the covid-19 pandemic”. BMJ. 368:m1164, 2020
We Call for Open Anonymized Medical Data on COVID-19 and Aging-Related Risk Factors
Furthermore, a large part of ILA activities have promoted science education about healthy longevity research. For example, ILA promoted scientific education on aging and longevity research through the annual educational campaigns “Longevity Month” that ILA has been organizing since 2013.
Another means employed by ILA for the advancement of science and for scientific discussion per se is by organizing scientific and educational conferences. Just since 2020, ILA was the main organizer of 3 high level scientific conferences on aging and aging-related diseases, on line, with the participation of leading international researchers of aging, and co-organized and/or participated in up to 10 more scientific and science-education conferences. The main 3 high level online conferences organized by ILA since 2020 were:
The 1st Metchnikoff’s Day Online Conference “Aging, Immunity and COVID-19”, May 16, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200810154922/http://longevityalliance.org/?q=1st-metchnikoff-s-day-online-conference-aging-immunity-and-covid-19-may-16-2020 . Conference statement
Eurosymposium on Healthy Ageing, Enhancing clinical trials for longevity therapies, online, October 1, 2021 http://www.eha-heales.org/ . Conference statement
Conference and workshops. Clarifying whether and to what degree the current anti-aging approaches work in mice or people, online, February 11, 2021 https://www.longevityforall.org/conference-online-on-anti-aging-testing-11-february-2021/ . Conference statement
We hope that these activities initiated and conducted by ILA and its experts, both as an organization for the advancement of science and a dedicated scientific organization, will advance the common social benefit of healthy longevity for all through scientific research. We thank you for your support!
ILA board