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Happy holidays! Winter is in full swing for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. It is a time for cozy nights by the fire and a great time to catch up on what has been happening at Lifespan News and LRI. A cultural intelligence platform for effective advocacy We are delighted to announce that the campaign to develop a cultural intelligence platform has been a success! Thanks to donations from the community and Longevity Alliance members, the project will now start. The goal of the campaign was $100,000, and we managed to raise $104,395, taking us to 104% needed…

Credit: KATERYNA KON/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images Researchers in Japan at Okayama University and Tohoku University have found a way to improve drug delivery for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) by targeting collagen signaling rather than collagen’s physical structure alone. Their method, published in the journal Small, shows that inhibiting discoidin domain receptor 1 (DDR1), a collagen-activated receptor that helps fuels fibrosis, reduces collagen I production and increases the permeability of fibrotic tumor tissue to macromolecular drugs. “Our findings reveal that collagen signaling, not just its physical density, plays a crucial role in hindering drug delivery,” said senior researcher Hiroyoshi Y. Tanaka,…

Credit: Viaframe/Getty Images Scientists from Mass General Brigham and the Broad Institute have been studying more effective ways of treating people living with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA). People with this rare and progressive neuromuscular disorder are often diagnosed between the ages of five and 15 and live into their 30s or 40s. A key challenge is that there are no widely approved treatments for the disease, and existing therapies may not be effective in all cases. But that could change thanks to a new study that sheds light on a genetic modifier of the disease, which may open a door to…

Credit: CIPhotos / iStock / Getty Images Plus An analysis of nearly 50 randomized controlled trials has found no link between treatment with glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 receptor agonists, either for type 2 diabetes or weight management, and cancer risk. The findings may serve as “a very important piece of information for clinicians,” said the study’s senior author Cho-Han Chiang, MD, MMSc, from Harvard Medical School. He explained that initial safety reports suggested there might be an increased risk for thyroid and pancreatic cancer with GLP-1 receptor agonist use. “Notably, in our meta-analysis we did not show such a signal across…

The world watched on in awe as teams successfully administered a personalized gene therapy to infant KJ Muldoon (“Baby KJ”). This extraordinary achievement reignited public and scientific excitement in and around genetic medicine by bringing life-changing therapies to patients with previously incurable rare conditions. This demonstrated the power of genetic medicines and their potential for rare diseases. The remarkable impact for Baby KJ also opens up the possibilities of the potential for genetic medicines to transform, not just rare diseases, but common diseases as well.In this article, we will explore the common myths surrounding one specific therapeutic approach that could…

Hevolution CEO Mehmood Khan on mapping the next five years of healthspan science and shifting from passive funding to strategic direction. The publication of Hevolution’s second Global Healthspan Report earlier this month added fresh momentum to a field that has long argued for better data, clearer policy signals and more sustained investment. The report’s analysis – spanning trial activity, demographic risk, capital flows and shifting public attitudes – sets out a landscape in which healthspan is no longer a niche concern but an economic and societal imperative. It is also a landscape in which Hevolution has become, by sheer scale,…

Credit: Md Saiful Islam Khan / iStock / Getty Images Plus Astrin Biosciences has announced the launch of Certitude—a blood-based, early breast cancer detection test. The test combines AI and proteomics in what the company calls a “first of its kind,” because it detects the disease early and works in women with dense breast tissue. The company says the Certitude supplemental screening test will be available in the U.S. in early 2026 by prescription only. Dense tissue makes it much harder for mammograms to detect early-stage cancers. Meanwhile, dense breasts are also a significant risk factor for breast cancer. This…

Northwestern University scientists have uncovered what they say may potentially be a previously unknown, hidden player in pneumonia. In their newly reported study, the scientists found that the lungs’ own microbial community, or microbiome, appears to influence how the illness evolves, who responds well to treatment, and whether a patient will recover successfully or continue to deteriorate. Using lung samples from pneumonia patients, the team applied multiomics techniques to uncover clinically relevant drivers of pneumonia progression and identify how microbial ecosystems and immune responses evolved over time. Among their findings, the investigators discovered that patients most likely to recover shared…

When the recent US federal government shutdown ended, some sectors quickly resumed normal operations. But for scientific research, the effects continue to unfold long after the government reopened its doors. Prior to the shutdown, federal agencies already faced tightening budgets, delayed appropriations, and shifting priorities. The shutdown amplified these problems, leaving researchers across the country to navigate prolonged uncertainty.We work at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, where approximately 50 percent of the institute’s annual budget is derived from federal grants, mainly from the National Institutes of Health. We have long benefitted from this funding support that stems from the…

AstraZeneca’s potential first-in-class aldosterone inhibitor could help millions with hard-to-control high blood pressure. Global biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted its New Drug Application (NDA) for Baxdrostat under priority review. The oral drug targets adult patients with hard-to-control hypertension, those whose blood pressure remains elevated despite the use of multiple medications [1]. If approved, baxdrostat would become the first aldosterone synthase inhibitor authorized for use in the US, offering a new therapeutic option for patients struggling with resistant blood pressure.  The FDA’s Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) date is expected in…