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Scheibye-Knudsen lab

Biological and synthetic replacement-based ageing interventions hold substantial potential to reverse many forms of age-related damage simultaneously and extend healthy lifespan beyond what can be achieved with conventional therapeutics. In this Perspective, we discuss recent insights, unmet needs, and emerging trajectories that are catalysing research and clinical development of replacement-based treatments and synergistic strategies for multi-targeted damage removal and export at the molecular, organellar, and cellular levels. The first workshop dedicated to replacement as an ageing intervention at the Aging Research & Drug Discovery 2025 conference helped prioritise key challenges, opportunities, and future directions to address the need for preventive replacement and bioengineering technologies capable of inducing systemic and sustained rejuvenation across cells, tissues, and regulatory systems.

The rise in life expectancy and declining birth rates have precipitated a demographic change that is fundamentally affecting European societies. Although the European Union has endorsed the United Nations Decade of Healthy Aging 2021–2030, the challenges of an aging population remain largely unresolved. Gains in life expectancy should be endorsed as a major accomplishment of modern civilization, yet old age is a major risk factor for a multitude of chronic diseases. The proportion of the population above 65 years old will soon reach a third, and more than half of the people in this age group suffer from multimorbidity (that is, have two or more disorders at the same time). On average, more than ten years at the end of life are spent with disease. The social and economic effects of the ever-growing population that requires medical assistance will fundamentally challenge the future of Europe…

The 12th Aging Research and Drug Discovery (ARDD) meeting convened at the University of Copenhagen, presenting a comprehensive overview of recent advancements in the biology of aging. A central theme across sessions was the field's gradual shift from descriptive, correlational studies to mechanistic understandings enabling the engineering of personalized therapeutic interventions aimed at extending human healthspan. Key discussions highlighted the convergence of multiple disciplines. Presentations detailed how fundamental biological insights are being integrated with artificial intelligence and machine learning platforms for accelerated target identification and drug development. Furthermore, the development and application of novel preclinical research models were presented as critical for improving the translational pipeline to human clinical trials. Scientific discourse has advanced from cataloging the established hallmarks of aging to identifying and modulating the specific molecular mechanisms that regulate them. This focus is predicated on the hypothesis that aging is not solely a result of stochastic damage accumulation but may be a tractable, modifiable, and potentially reversible biological process amenable to intervention. This report summarizes the principal research directions and conceptual frameworks presented at the conference.

Structured educational programs for physicians in healthy longevity medicine (HLM) remain scarce. No published data yet document the impact of longevity-focused medical education on physicians. This study assesses the ramifications of the HLM curriculum, certified by the American Council for Continuing Medical Education, on physicians’ confidence in their knowledge of HLM and clinical practice.

Skin aging is a complex, multifactorial process driven by intrinsic biological factors and extrinsic environmental influences, with ultraviolet radiation playing a central role in accelerating structural and functional skin deterioration. A wide range of topical and systemic interventions have been proposed to prevent or reverse visible signs of skin aging. This review provides a critical evaluation of current skin aging interventions, including antioxidants, hormonal therapies, retinoids, hydrators such as hyaluronic acid, collagen peptides, and emerging senescence-targeting agents. Distinct from prior reviews, this work integrates both a pharmaceutical perspective — focusing on physicochemical properties, formulation stability, and dermal or oral bioavailability of active ingredients — and a methodological assessment of clinical evidence. While several skin aging interventions have been described to show benefits, their clinical…