Finalist Teams Awarded $1 Million in XPrize Healthspan Contest to Transform Healthy Aging

The XPrize Healthspan—which will split $101 million among teams developing therapeutics to restore muscle, cognitive, and immune function in older adults—has named 10 teams receiving $1 million each.

(XPrize announced the finalists for its XPrize Healthspan competition | XPrize)

The XPrize Healthspan competition has named its top 20 finalist groups that will submit their aging intervention therapies for human trial testing.

Aging &amp; Longevity

Model: Young (2- to 4-month-old) and aged (9- to 10-month-old) C57Bl/6JR mice, APP/PS1 mice, and 5xFAD mice 
Dosage: 0.2 mg/mL of doxycycline in drinking water starting at least 7 days before surgery and ceased 2 days before the partial cellular reprogramming window for engram tagging, after which it was immediately reintroduced

Gene Therapy Restores Cognitive Function in Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease

Delivering a gene therapy targeting ensembles of neurons that store memories restores learning and memory capabilities in mouse models of aging and Alzheimer’s disease.

(The study’s principal investigator, Professor Johannes Gräff | 24 Heures)

A partial cellular reprogramming gene therapy targeting memory trace cells restores facets of learning and memory in aged mice and those modeling Alzheimer’s disease.

Brain &amp; Neurons

Model: Naturally aged 24-month-old C57BL/6 mice 
Dose: 0.1 mg/kg/day of folic acid administered orally for 12 months

Supplementation with vitamin B9, also known as folic acid or folate, prevents cellular senescence and slows vascular aging in naturally aged mice.  

Cardiovascular

Dr. Sinclair and collaborators show that an age-reversal technology that rejuvenates cells protects neurons from inflammation and cell death in mice. 

Model: C57BL/6J mice and Abca1/g1-m/-m mice of both sexes and bone marrow-derived macrophages from C57BL/6J and Abca1/g1-m/-m mice
Dosage: 300 mg/kg of NMN by daily intraperitoneal injection for two weeks, 5 mg/kg of dasatinib and 50 mg/kg of quercetin by oral gavage for five consecutive days every two weeks for three months, and a 500 μM concentration of NMN for bone marrow-derived macrophages in laboratory dishes

Revitalizing Immune Cells & Eye Function: NMN Study Unveils Remarkable Findings

A new study suggests that NMN reverses an age-associated dysfunctional cellular state — senescence — in immune cells and restores eye function in an age-related eye disease mouse model.

(An anatomical view of an eye with age-related macular degeneration | NAD.com)

NMN reverses an age-related dysfunctional state in immune cells — senescence — and improves eye function in an age-related eye disease mouse model.

Search Result: restoring vision

10 Finalist Teams Awarded $1 Million in XPrize Healthspan Contest to Transform Healthy Aging

Gene Therapy Targeting Memory-Encoding Neurons Restores Cognitive Function in Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease

New Study: Vitamin B9 Combats Cell Senescence to Slow Vascular Aging

Age-Reversal Tech Protects Against Neurodegeneration in Latest David Sinclair Study

Revitalizing Immune Cells & Eye Function: NMN Study Unveils Remarkable Findings