New research on heart aging receives major grant from LSF

Oxford team to study dietary interventions for improving cardiac health and extending lifespan with Longevity Science Foundation’s support.

The Longevity Science Foundation (LSF) has announced the award of a substantial grant to researchers at the University of Oxford’s Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics for a pioneering study on heart aging. Led by Professor Pawel Swietach , and co-supervised by Dr Richard Siow , the research project entitled Metabolic Mechanisms of Ageing in the Heart – Novel Dietary Interventions for Enhancing Healthspan aims to explore how diet can influence metabolic processes within the heart and potentially delay age-related deterioration. The LSF’s financial support, spread across a three-year period, will cover critical aspects of the study, advancing the understanding of cardiac aging and contributing to future therapies.

The project, beginning in 2024, will focus on the chemical changes to molecules that regulate the heart’s function – specifically studying methylation, a process influenced by diet, which affects metabolic pathways involved in heart aging. As the heart has a limited capacity to regenerate, damage and dysfunction accumulate over time, leading to diseases that contribute to about one-third of deaths globally. The research aims to test whether dietary modifications can reverse or prevent these metabolic changes, with the ultimate goal of discovering potential interventions that enhance cardiac health.

My take on this: The Longevity Science Foundation’s support of the Oxford study marks a significant step in the organization’s broader effort to tackle age-related diseases; by targeting metabolic mechanisms at the root of heart dysfunction, the LSF is helping to push the boundaries of aging research. The Foundation’s ability to channel critical funding to projects that are often constrained by a lack of resources is vital for scientific advancement, and by providing capital to teams like those at Oxford – who are engaged in potentially transformative research – the LSF is making strides toward its goal of increasing healthspan; that is, not just extending life, but extending the years spent in good health. In a world where the population of adults over 60 is rapidly expanding, efforts like these are increasingly crucial for developing strategies to prevent chronic diseases linked to aging.

Professor Swietach’s team is using genetically altered models to study the effects of elevated methionine, an amino acid whose high levels have been linked to accelerated heart dysfunction in aging. The team seeks to determine whether restricting methionine intake or modifying the diet can slow or reverse these effects. By examining how diet interacts with methylation patterns and heart function, the researchers hope to identify new therapeutic strategies that could extend healthspan by preserving cardiac function in older individuals.

This grant award is a critical boost to the project’s overall budget, enabling the team to pursue more comprehensive research into heart aging and its metabolic drivers. By focusing on methylation processes, the researchers are tapping into an area that has shown increasing relevance in understanding aging mechanisms. The hope is that dietary interventions could become a non-invasive, accessible way to mitigate the effects of heart aging – potentially reducing the burden of heart disease and extending the period of life spent in good health.

“We eagerly anticipate the outcomes of the research Pawel Swietach’s team will make to the scientific field,” said Joshua Herring, President & CEO of the LSF. “We are proud to have the Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Genetics at the University of Oxford as partners, and we look forward to the mutual impact we will create. As the Foundation seeks and sources substantial additional capital through donations, we plan to continue reverberating through the community via our granting to the best research teams available.”

Learn more abut the grant and its impact on cardiac health research HERE.

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