BALTIMORE, Md., Sept. 9, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via PRWEB - Fueled by a booming market for longevity products and medicine, an international team of scientists has launched a database showcasing the latest research on geroprotectors at geroprotectors.org. Extensive information about life-extending compounds can be reviewed and compared at the site, including a drug's status (whether it's been approved by the FDA), its toxicity, lifespan and mortality rates, the chemical structure of each compound, and a description of how each drug works as a geroprotector; visitors will learn how a drug prolongs life (boosting a body's immune system, reducing a body's risk of heart disease, etc.).
"It's a fact - We can develop effective combinations for life extension right now using drugs that are already in the marketplace," said Alex Zhavoronkov, CEO of biotech firm Insilico Medicine, Inc. one of the companies that built the database. "This Website will help researchers learn more about geroprotective compounds and eventually find a combination that helps humans adds years to their lives." Among the familiar geroprotectors reviewed in the site: aspirins and caffeine. We take aspirin for headaches but because of its anti-inflammatory effects, it's widely-taken by people to reduce their risk of heart disease. Because caffeine is packed with antioxidants, people who drink between 4 – 12 cups of coffee a day can reduce their risk of cancer, diabetes, liver disease and more.
A less familiar geroprotector reviewed in the site is Metformin, the most commonly used medicine for type 2 diabetes. While there have been no trials of Metformin as a longevity drug in people, a UK study of 180,000 patients compared the lifespan of Metformin patients with the lifespan of diabetics treated with another medicine; both groups were closely matched in age and other health factors. Surprisingly, diabetics taking Metformin were not only less likely to die during the five year time frame of the study, they were also 15 percent less likely to die than people without diabetes who took neither drug.
"The potential for geroprotectors to extend our lives by 5, 10, 15 years or more have made this an exciting area of biomedical research," said Joao Pedro de Magalhaes, head of the Integrative Genomics of Ageing Group. "By compiling what is known about this topic, Geroprotectors.org will be a great asset for researchers and clinicians to ultimately allow people to benefit from recent discoveries in manipulating the aging process."
The geroprotectors database and Website will be showcased later this month in Switzerland, during the Basel Life Science 2015 Symposium. During the four-day event that gets underway on September 21st, scientists will present their research to leaders of the pharmaceutical industry. More than 3,000 scientists will attend the event, that's 6% more attendees than last year's event.
Increased interest in the Basel symposium reflects the fast-growing market for anti-aging products and supplements. With baby boomers approaching retirement age, there is more interest and research in life-extending drugs and products than ever. According to a study just released by Transparency Market Research, the anti-aging market will be worth almost $192 Billion by 2019.
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