Dublin Longevity Summit 2025: 9 Surprising Insights That Could Redefine Healthy Aging
Image: Dublin Longevity Summit
Longevity Lessons from Dublin: What I Learned at the LSD Summit
I recently returned from the Longevity Summit Dublin (LSD) — a well-attended and impressively organized event — where I spoke and listened to many of the field’s leading thinkers. Rather than a formal report, I’d like to share a few highlights that surprised or intrigued me most.
Organs may respond to the age of their host. Jesse Poganik of Harvard Medical School presented evidence that transplanted organs, like hearts from older donors, can adopt age-related characteristics of their younger recipients. This suggests that biological aging may be influenced by systemic signals — raising the possibility that if we can isolate and replicate these cues, we might one day reduce the biological age of organs we’re born with.
Bats live longer and better than expected. Emma Teeling from University College Dublin showed us why bats — with their high metabolic rates — live far longer than similarly sized mammals. They also seem more resilient to cancer and infectious diseases. Bat longevity could open clues into protective biological mechanisms we’ve barely begun to understand.
Senescent cells are both a target and a tool. Michael Ringel of Life Biosciences and Daniel Muñoz-Espín are advancing research that reprograms aging cells, potentially delaying age-related diseases and even preventing cancer. Cellular senescence, once seen as merely a symptom of aging, is now being explored as a target for powerful interventions.
We must do better in women’s health. Jennifer Garrison of the Buck Institute reminded us that a tiny fraction of life sciences R&D has focused on women. She discussed how rapidly aging ovaries affect the female aging process — a topic we only partially understand. The longevity field needs to catch up.
Alzheimer’s might be detectable in your voice. Elma Kerz of Exaia is developing early detection tools for Alzheimer’s Disease based on speech patterns, well before memory loss sets in. Like keyboard analysis and other passive biomarkers, this could help high-risk individuals take early action — lifestyle or therapeutic.
Therapies can subtract, not just add. Lou Hawthorne (Nanotics) showed how nanobots can clear harmful cytokines from circulation. Dobri Kiprov (Global Apheresis) described plasma exchange techniques that remove toxins and microplastics, with added benefits from replenishing human serum albumin.
Aging accelerates in zero gravity. David Furman (Buck Institute) is studying how cells age in gravity-free environments — a major concern for space medicine. While “longevity for the billions, not just the billionaires” is my usual mantra, this one may be more relevant to the latter!
Vibrating plates might stimulate immune function. Christopher Ashdown of Stony Brook University is exploring how standing on vibrating platforms could activate T-cell production — mimicking the effects of exercise, which remains the most potent longevity intervention we know.
Blue Zones are still being discovered — and built. Despite controversy around methodology, new Blue Zones still emerge. Silvana Aliberti highlighted Cilento, Italy, and Brian Kennedy explained how Singapore aims to become a “synthetic” Blue Zone by aligning its public health system and citizen habits toward longevity.
There’s much more — from AI applications (which I covered) to multi-omics and biological clocks. But the above gives a flavour of the field’s direction and energy. My thanks to Martin O’Dea and the LSD team for a stimulating experience.
Image: Dublin Longevity Summit
