Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SmartAge (Gut-brain-axis: Targets for improvement of cognition in the elderly)
Berichtszeitraum: 2020-09-01 bis 2022-08-31
Currently no cure exists to prevent progression from mild cognitive impairments to dementia. Nevertheless, the topic has not sufficiently been addressed in the past and the promising progress in the current microbiome research offers completely new prospects for diagnostics and therapy. Simultaneously there is a great need for specialists in that field.
The goal of SmartAge is to improve the quality of life of old people and to save costs in the health system by understanding and exploiting the microbiome as moderator between the gut and the brain especially in their interaction with age and in its impact on cognition. Nutritional and life style interventions will be applied in a translational approach to increase cognitive functions at old age and to identify underlying microbiome associated mechanisms and key regulators
Objectives: The main objectives of SmartAge are:
Aim 1: Analysing gut-brain interactions at old age using specific hypotheses (inflammaging, intestinal permeability, and immune system), cutting edge research strategies and state-of-the-art technologies.
Aim 2: Identifying microbiome-based targets to develop new products in diagnostics and to establish new therapies to improve cognitive abilities in the elderly.
Aim 3: Enabling ESRs to design and conduct life style and nutritional interventional studies in this economically and socially important health sector.
Aim 4: Training a young generation of creative and entrepreneurial scientists for this new interdisciplinary research field (gut-brain communication in aging) with an exceptionally great demand for skilled professionals in academia as well as in industry.
The goal of SmartAge is to improve the quality of life of old people and to save costs in the health system by understanding and exploiting the microbiome as moderator between the gut and the brain especially in their interaction with age and in its impact on cognition. Nutritional and life style interventions will be applied in a translational approach to increase cognitive functions at old age and to identify underlying microbiome associated mechanisms and key regulators
Objectives: The main objectives of SmartAge are:
Aim 1: Analysing gut-brain interactions at old age using specific hypotheses (inflammaging, intestinal permeability, and immune system), cutting edge research strategies and state-of-the-art technologies.
Aim 2: Identifying microbiome-based targets to develop new products in diagnostics and to establish new therapies to improve cognitive abilities in the elderly.
Aim 3: Enabling ESRs to design and conduct life style and nutritional interventional studies in this economically and socially important health sector.
Aim 4: Training a young generation of creative and entrepreneurial scientists for this new interdisciplinary research field (gut-brain communication in aging) with an exceptionally great demand for skilled professionals in academia as well as in industry.
The SmartAge project “Gut-brain-axis: Targets for improvement of cognition in the elderly” has started on 01 September 2020. During the Kick-Off Meeting on 30 September 2020, the representatives of all beneficiaries and partner organisations met virtually and discussed the scientific workflow within the project. Furthermore, the management structure was introduced and the board members were elected. Upon Recruitment of the first ESRs between March and May 2021 the consortium members started to exchange knowledge and results among the beneficiaries. Mid of 2021 we started to offer workshops and seminars for our ESRs. During the first network meeting in October 2021 and during multi- or bilateral discussions on demand, the strategies to implement experiments and methods as well as collaborations among the beneficiaries have been further developed.
During the first Reporting Period (09/2020 - 08/2022), the SmartAge Consortium has successfully completed the following milestones:
• Kickoff Meeting (MS1)
• SmartAge website opening (MS2)
• Recruitment of 15 SmartAge ESRs (MS3)
• Enrollment of SmartAge ESRs in PhD programmes (MS15)
• Project mid-term check meeting (MS16)
Main scientific results achieved so far will be mainly exploited as (joint) publications in peer-review scientific journals (5 published publications, 5 submitted publications, 7 publications in preparation) and several conference presentations. The SmartAge project results were disseminated with various contributions like scientific presentations, lectures, posters and exhibitions to both the scientific community and the non-scientific public. Several PR measures like a project website, social media channels, press releases, participation in “University for children”, and “Long Night of Sciences” support the dissemination of project results. Basic knowledge gained in the course of the project could be transferred to three clinical studies. Furthermore, new methods (bioinformatics approaches, biological assays, animal tests) were developed and innovations (optimized material for organ-on-a-chip) as well as two gut-on-a-chip prototypes were presented.
Published publications:
Baumann A, Hernández-Arriaga A, Brandt A, Sánchez V, Nier A, Jung F, Kehm R, Höhn A, Grune T, Frahm C, Witte OW, Camarinha-Silva A, Bergheim I. Microbiota profiling in aging-associated inflammation and liver degeneration. Int J Med Microbiol. 2021 May;311(4):151500. doi: 10.1016/j.ijmm.2021.151500. Epub 2021 Mar 29. PMID: 33813306.
Ederer ML, Günther M, Best L, Lindner J, Kaleta C, Witte OW, Simon R, Frahm C. Voluntary Wheel Running in Old C57BL/6 Mice Reduces Age-Related Inflammation in the Colon but Not in the Brain. Cells. 2022 Feb 6;11(3):566. doi: 10.3390/cells11030566. PMID: 35159375; PMCID: PMC8834481.
Montez De Sousa IR, Bergheim I, Brombach C. Beyond the Individual -A Scoping Review and Bibliometric Mapping of Ecological Determinants of Eating Behavior in Older Adults. Public Health Rev. 2022 Aug. DOI: 10.3389/phrs.2022.1604967
Forero-Rodríguez LJ, Josephs-Spaulding J, Flor S, Pinzón A, Kaleta C. Parkinson's Disease and the Metal-Microbiome-Gut-Brain Axis: A Systems Toxicology Approach. Antioxidants (Basel). 2021 Dec 28;11(1):71. doi: 10.3390/antiox11010071. PMID: 35052575; PMCID: PMC8773335.
Del Castillo-Izquierdo A, Mayneris-Perxachs J, Fernández-Real JM. Bidirectional relationships between the gut microbiome and sexual traits. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2022 May 4. doi: 10.1152/ajpcell.00116.2022. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35508190.
During the first Reporting Period (09/2020 - 08/2022), the SmartAge Consortium has successfully completed the following milestones:
• Kickoff Meeting (MS1)
• SmartAge website opening (MS2)
• Recruitment of 15 SmartAge ESRs (MS3)
• Enrollment of SmartAge ESRs in PhD programmes (MS15)
• Project mid-term check meeting (MS16)
Main scientific results achieved so far will be mainly exploited as (joint) publications in peer-review scientific journals (5 published publications, 5 submitted publications, 7 publications in preparation) and several conference presentations. The SmartAge project results were disseminated with various contributions like scientific presentations, lectures, posters and exhibitions to both the scientific community and the non-scientific public. Several PR measures like a project website, social media channels, press releases, participation in “University for children”, and “Long Night of Sciences” support the dissemination of project results. Basic knowledge gained in the course of the project could be transferred to three clinical studies. Furthermore, new methods (bioinformatics approaches, biological assays, animal tests) were developed and innovations (optimized material for organ-on-a-chip) as well as two gut-on-a-chip prototypes were presented.
Published publications:
Baumann A, Hernández-Arriaga A, Brandt A, Sánchez V, Nier A, Jung F, Kehm R, Höhn A, Grune T, Frahm C, Witte OW, Camarinha-Silva A, Bergheim I. Microbiota profiling in aging-associated inflammation and liver degeneration. Int J Med Microbiol. 2021 May;311(4):151500. doi: 10.1016/j.ijmm.2021.151500. Epub 2021 Mar 29. PMID: 33813306.
Ederer ML, Günther M, Best L, Lindner J, Kaleta C, Witte OW, Simon R, Frahm C. Voluntary Wheel Running in Old C57BL/6 Mice Reduces Age-Related Inflammation in the Colon but Not in the Brain. Cells. 2022 Feb 6;11(3):566. doi: 10.3390/cells11030566. PMID: 35159375; PMCID: PMC8834481.
Montez De Sousa IR, Bergheim I, Brombach C. Beyond the Individual -A Scoping Review and Bibliometric Mapping of Ecological Determinants of Eating Behavior in Older Adults. Public Health Rev. 2022 Aug. DOI: 10.3389/phrs.2022.1604967
Forero-Rodríguez LJ, Josephs-Spaulding J, Flor S, Pinzón A, Kaleta C. Parkinson's Disease and the Metal-Microbiome-Gut-Brain Axis: A Systems Toxicology Approach. Antioxidants (Basel). 2021 Dec 28;11(1):71. doi: 10.3390/antiox11010071. PMID: 35052575; PMCID: PMC8773335.
Del Castillo-Izquierdo A, Mayneris-Perxachs J, Fernández-Real JM. Bidirectional relationships between the gut microbiome and sexual traits. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2022 May 4. doi: 10.1152/ajpcell.00116.2022. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35508190.
Exploitation Plan for SmartAge results
Multi-OMICS open data and analysis tools: A repository of multi-tissue and cross-species Omics data and SmartAge analysis tools open to scientists
Biobank containing mouse and human samples: Biospecimens for future research of microbiome-gut-brain communication, release to scientist after agreement of collaboration contract
Gut-on-a-chip: commercialization and patent application
Positive effects of oat β-glucans on cognition: Nutritional product development designed for use by the elderly
Positive effects of physical activity on cognition: Contact to fitness centres to establish a specific program for elderly
Positive effects of metformin on cognition: Conduct a cross-country clinical study with the aim of use of metformin to treat mild cognitive impairments in the elderly
BrainAGE score for neuro-morphological signatures following interventions: Use the BrainAGE score in clinical practise to individually predict and diagnose the degree of memory decline
Multi-OMICS open data and analysis tools: A repository of multi-tissue and cross-species Omics data and SmartAge analysis tools open to scientists
Biobank containing mouse and human samples: Biospecimens for future research of microbiome-gut-brain communication, release to scientist after agreement of collaboration contract
Gut-on-a-chip: commercialization and patent application
Positive effects of oat β-glucans on cognition: Nutritional product development designed for use by the elderly
Positive effects of physical activity on cognition: Contact to fitness centres to establish a specific program for elderly
Positive effects of metformin on cognition: Conduct a cross-country clinical study with the aim of use of metformin to treat mild cognitive impairments in the elderly
BrainAGE score for neuro-morphological signatures following interventions: Use the BrainAGE score in clinical practise to individually predict and diagnose the degree of memory decline