Living better and longer: IBSA Foundation promotes the debate on Active Aging

While being on one hand a tangible result of our time, the increase in longevity represents, on the other, one of the major challenges for the immediate future of our company. It’s a phenomenon that requires a significant consideration from several points of view, from the socio-economic to the health and research one.

IBSA Foundation for scientific research – in partnership with prominent partners such as Bellinzona Institutes of Science (Bios⁺) and ETH Zürich – organised two scientific forum to promote greater awareness of many aspects related to aging, through a debate between different international experts.

THE FORUM NEW FRONTIERS IN BIOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINANTS OF AGING, AT BIOS+ IN BELLINZONA

The scientific forum New Frontiers in biological and environmental determinants of aging was held on August 31 at the Bellinzona Institutes of Science (Bios+), the association that brings together the Institute of Research in Biomedicine (IRB, Istituto di Ricerca in Biomedicina) and the Oncological Research Institute (IOR, Istituto Oncologico di Ricerca). The Forum addressed the issue starting from the biology of aging and from age-related conditions, with a focus on the latest discoveries from a molecular, cellular and organic perspective. Many other topics were addressed, such as all those factors – environmental, psychological and cultural – which can play a significant role in shaping happiness, health and longevity.

During the debate, Prof. Andrea Alimonti – Professor of Experimental Oncology at ETH Zürich and the University of Italian Switzerland – moderated the contributions of the following experts:

• Prof. Guido Kroemer – Professor of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Paris Paris-Cité (France);
• Prof. Thomas Rando, Head of the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center (USA);
• Prof. Andrew Steptoe, Head of the Behavioural Science and Health Department, Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care (UK).

The speakers brought to the attention of the attendance aspects such as the possibility of decelerating, arresting or reversing aging through targeted therapeutic interventions, the mechanisms of epigenetic rejuvenation and the connection between emotional processes and physical health that can lead to healthier aging.

THE FORUM CULTURE AND LONGEVITY, AT ETH ZÜRICH

The second appointment was held on September 1 at the Zentrum Campus Building ETA of ETH Zürich, which organised the meeting together with IBSA Foundation. The attention was focused on the importance of social and cultural activities for healthy aging; on how science and the community can today contribute to this process, bringing together different perspectives and experiences to create new approaches and solutions; and on how social relationships, culture and the arts play a critical role in maintaining good health and longevity. The experts discussed precisely these aspects, presenting supporting scientific studies and combining the epidemiological and scientific data with the psychological aspects.

In addition to Prof. Guido Kroemer and Prof. Thomas Rando (who had already attended the Bellinzona Forum), the following experts provided their contributions:

• Prof. Marc Schulz, Associate Director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, Professor of Psychology and Head of the Data Science Department at Bryn Mawr College (USA);
• Dr. Jessica Bone, Researcher at the Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care, University College London (UK).

AGING BETWEEN SCIENCE AND CULTURE

Aging is an issue of global importance, above all in Europe. The two Forums were proposed as an opportunity to explore this topic as well as the most recent discoveries, to create a meeting point and start an interdisciplinary collaboration between healthcare professionals, researchers and specialists from different fields, so that longevity medicine can be considered an established clinical and academic discipline, capable of opening up new perspectives on the subject of aging, identifying new paths and improving people’s well-being. Furthermore, the objective of this type of forum, organised by IBSA Foundation, is also to create greater awareness of the importance of culture and the arts in positively affecting various aspects of people’s health.