The symposium "Successful Brain Aging and Longevity" was held on Tuesday, February 7, 2017, at Shinanomachi Campus as part of the Keio Longevity Initiative.
School of Medicine Dean Hideyuki Okano opened the symposium by introducing the main focuses of longevity research at Keio: dementia, NMN, supercentenarian research, and a vision for future social security systems.
The first session centered on the molecular mechanisms and clinical applications of neurodegenerative diseases. Assistant Professor Sumihiro Maeda of Keio’s Department of Physiology presented a lecture on the molecular biological mechanism by which aggregation of tau protein causes Alzheimer's disease. Prof. Atsushi Iwata of the University of Tokyo’s Neurology Department followed, presenting a lecture on why clinical trials of common Alzheimer's disease were not successful and discussed possibilities for early detection and preemptive treatment of Alzheimer's disease utilizing amyloid PET imaging.
The second session centered on the multifaceted research of supercentenarians, who are one of the models of healthy longevity. First, Prof. Yasuhiko Saito of Nihon University, a leading demography expert, gave a lecture on the demographics of centenarians and supercentenarians. Dr. Takashi Sasaki of the Keio Center for Supercentenarian Medical Research then reported on the ongoing genome analysis of supercentenarians. Lastly, Prof. Bradley J. Willcox of the University of Hawaii, who discovered the relationship between FOXO3A gene and longevity, gave a lecture on the possible link between FOXO3A and longevity via an extensive metabolic network.
The symposium focused on supercentenarians, who are at low risk of developing dementia, and who may be vital in efforts to counteract dementia, one the biggest problems that faces aging societies. Many researchers from outside the university joined Keio students and faculty to make the symposium a success in furthering the longevity dialogue.