Kenya Honda, Ph.D., M.D. | Keio University School of Medicine; Dan Littman | New York University School of Medicine; Jun Huh | Harvard Medical School
Competition Sponsor: Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development
Awardee Year: 2020
Centenarians, who are living more than a century and have survived the era of hunger and infectious diseases, are considered an ultimate model of successful longevity with well-being. Strikingly, most centenarians are less susceptible to age-related diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and cancer. It has been postulated that there are unique gut microbiota members in centenarians that act as direct factors in preventing these diseases. As we have extensive expertise relating to anaerobic bacterial culturing and gnotobiotic techniques, we anticipate that we will be able to isolate and select unique bacterial strains from centenarians’ gut microbiota that are functionally beneficial for a healthy lifespan. Also possible is the understanding of potential mechanisms underlying the effects of bacterial isolates. Our long-term goal is to pave the way to delivering novel microbiota-based therapeutics to promote healthy longevity.
To learn more about this proposal email healthylongevity@nas.edu.
View this project poster, first displayed at the 2021 Global Innovator Summit.