THE TAME TRIAL: A PROTOTYPE FOR GEROSCIENCE-GUIDED THERAPEUTICS

Abstract

Aging is recognized as a major risk factor for many chronic diseases, yet research and clinical efforts have emphasized a “one disease at a time” paradigm. Major advances indicating that biological aging processes may be modifiable have led to the Geroscience Hypothesis. It suggests that efforts targeting biological aging pathways could expand healthspan by preventing or slowing the progression of multiple chronic diseases. These concepts, supported by a growing body of animal studies have highlighted the importance of translating such science from the bench to humans. This symposium will provide an update on these efforts. Dr Stephen Kritchevsky (Wake Forest) will provide an overview of the scientific rationale and study design for the upcoming TAME (Targeting Aging with Metformin) clinical trial. We view TAME as a prototype geroscience-guided trial targeting aging-related clinical outcomes. Therefore, the remaining talks will address the emergence of scientific approaches involving the translation of biological discoveries to help inform the development and design of future clinical trials. Dr George Kuchel (University of Connecticut) will discuss the role of existing and emerging biomarkers in assessing biological hallmarks of aging in humans. Dr Jamie Justice (Wake Forest) will summarize evidence linking biomarkers to clinically meaningful outcomes. The final speaker, Dr Nir Barzilai (Albert Einstein) will present results of recent studies reporting effects of metformin on gene expression of metabolic and non-metabolic pathways in muscle and adipose tissues.