Background: The increasing demand for health care services, the extraordinary results obtained by applying innovative biotechnology, and the intense debate aroused by the possibility that postponement of aging may be in sight should promote public enthusiasm and funding for biomedical aging research aimed at enhancing a healthy life span by healthy productive life.
Objective: New trends in biomedical aging research arise from the advancement of knowledge on the basic molecular mechanisms of aging and the availability of advanced biotechnology.
Results: The emerging scenario is that, in opposition to the highly publicized, yet unwarranted claims of existing so-called anti-aging treatments, innovative and promising therapies for the treatment and prevention of age-related diseases and intriguing strategies aimed at the postponement of aging are currently in the process of development.
Conclusions: Although many problems will remain unsolved for long, it seems that a common consensus has been raised towards the possible serious impact of these strategies on the development of knowledge around the mechanisms of aging.
Copyright 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel.