Dr. Mikhail Blagosklonny’s Legacy: Hyperfunction Theory and Rapamycin

“Blagosklonny’s work remains an enduring inspiration, paving the way toward treating aging as a modifiable condition.”

BUFFALO, NY- January 15, 2025 – A new priority review was published in Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as “Aging (Albany NY)” and “Aging-US” by Web of Science) on January 12, 2025, entitled “Mikhail ‘Misha’ Blagosklonny’s enduring legacy in geroscience: the hyperfunction theory and the therapeutic potential of rapamycin.”

This review, written by Dr. David A. Barzilai, from Geneva College of Longevity Science and Healthspan Coaching LLC, summarizes the outstanding scientific contributions of the late Dr. Mikhail “Misha” Blagosklonny, Founding Editor-in-Chief of Aging. Dr. Blagosklonny’s research changed how researchers and scientists think about aging by introducing a new theory and promoting the use of rapamycin, an mTOR inhibitor, to slow aging and extend healthy life. Published shortly after his passing, this review honors Dr. Blagosklonny’s work and highlights how it challenged the traditional belief that aging is caused mainly by accumulated damage in the body.

Instead of describing aging as an accumulation of cellular damage, Dr. Blagosklonny’s Hyperfunction Theory redefined it as an ongoing biological process that goes into “overdrive” and leads to age-related diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular problems, and memory loss.

He identified the mTOR pathway—an important growth signal in the body—as a key driver of this process. His research showed that by using rapamycin, which slows down mTOR activity, it is possible to reduce aging-related diseases and promote longer, healthier lives.

Research supports many of Dr. Blagosklonny’s predictions about rapamycin’s benefits. Studies show that it can improve immune responses in older adults, making vaccines more effective. Other studies suggest rapamycin may help protect the heart, reduce harmful brain inflammation, and prevent the buildup of proteins linked to Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Blagosklonny also proposed that rapamycin could reduce cancer risk by preventing excessive growth signals that contribute to tumor development.

Believing in rapamycin’s potential as a “longevity drug,” Dr. Blagosklonny advocated for its careful use with medical supervision and precise dosing. He called for further research and even envisioned “longevity clinics” where personalized anti-aging treatments could be provided. The review also highlights ongoing scientific efforts to refine rapamycin therapies and explore new options with fewer side effects.

In conclusion, Dr. Blagosklonny has inspired a global shift toward viewing aging as a condition that can be managed rather than an inevitable decline. His research has left a legacy in the fields of geroscience, aging, and cancer prevention.

“This contribution will undoubtedly be remembered in the coming decades and beyond as an innovative contribution to our theoretical grasp of the aging process and a foundation for exploring effective therapeutic approaches.”

Read the full paper: DOIhttps://doi.org/10.18632/aging.206189

Corresponding author: David A. Barzilai, [email protected]

Keywords: aging, rapamycin, longevity medicine, healthspan, geroscience, hyperfunction

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Aging is indexed by PubMed/Medline (abbreviated as “Aging (Albany NY)”), PubMed CentralWeb of Science: Science Citation Index Expanded (abbreviated as “Aging‐US” and listed in the Cell Biology and Geriatrics & Gerontology categories), Scopus (abbreviated as “Aging” and listed in the Cell Biology and Aging categories), Biological Abstracts, BIOSIS Previews, EMBASE, META (Chan Zuckerberg Initiative) (2018-2022), and Dimensions (Digital Science).

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Dr. Marco Demaria Named Editor-In-Chief of Aging (Aging-US)

BUFFALO, NY- January 6, 2025 – We are pleased to announce that Dr. Marco Demaria, a leading expert in aging and cellular senescence, has joined Aging (Aging-US) as Editor-in-Chief, effective January 1, 2025. Dr. Demaria will work alongside an esteemed Editorial Board.

Dr. Demaria has an impressive background in aging research. He earned his PhD in Molecular Medicine from the University of Torino, Italy. In 2010, he joined the laboratory of Aging Founding Editor, the late Dr. Judith Campisi, at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. There he developed cellular and animal models for studying cellular aging, also known as cellular senescence, and its role in tissue repair, cancer, and aging.

Currently, Dr. Demaria leads DemariaLab, whose mission is “to extend human healthspan by pioneering discoveries in molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate the aging process.” His groundbreaking research has significantly advanced our understanding of cellular senescence and its role in aging and age-related diseases. Dr. Demaria aims to develop new therapeutic approaches to create more effective treatments that mitigate the diseases and extend the healthspan. His work specifically focuses on interfering with the mechanisms of cellular senescence using genetic, pharmacological, and nutraceutical strategies.

“My research is focused on understanding the molecular basis of age-related dysfunctions and disorders, and to identify new molecular and cellular targets to improve health and longevity.” – Marco Demaria

He is also a Full Professor at the European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing (ERIBA), Director of the Mechanisms of Health, Ageing and Disease (MoHAD) at the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), President of the International Cell Senescence Association (ICSA), and Co-Founder of Cleara Biotech. Dr. Demaria also brings valuable editorial experience from his former positions as Editor-in-Chief of npj Aging and Editorial Board member of Aging Cell.

All the above, combined with Dr. Demaria’s academic contributions, commitment, and expertise, align perfectly with Aging’s mission to understand the mechanisms surrounding aging and age-related diseases, including cancer as the main cause of death in the modern aged population. 

For more information about Marco Demaria, PhD, please visit www.demarialab.com and follow him on X (Twitter) at @marc_dema or on Bluesky at @marcdema.bsky.social.

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Aging’s Scientific Integrity Process

The open-access journal Aging recently launched a new webpage showcasing the full Aging Scientific Integrity Process.

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BUFFALO, NY-Novembe8, 2022 – Scientific integrity is a crucial component of scholarly publishing for any credible journal. Peer-reviewed, open-access journal Aging (listed as “Aging (Albany NY)” by Medline/PubMed and “Aging-US” by Web of Science) has recently presented its Scientific Integrity process.

Launched in 2009, Aging is an open-access biomedical journal dedicated to publishing high-quality, aging-focused research. Aging publishes papers of general interest and biological significance in all fields of aging research and age-related diseases, including cancer—and now, with a special focus on COVID-19 vulnerability as an age-dependent syndrome. 

Aging has a scientific integrity process to ensure that publications meet a number of scrupulous criteria for authenticity and integrity. Each published paper is thoroughly analyzed by diligent reviewers and services, including multiple in-house developed image forensics softwares. A growing industry of digital technologies, tools and ideas are constantly being added to Aging’s scientific integrity toolbox. 

Aging’s Scientific Integrity process is built upon six critical components:

  1. Easily Accessible Ethics Statements
  2. Devotion to Industry Standards for Scientific Publishing
  3. Rigorous and Insightful Peer Review
  4. Detection and Zero-Tolerance of Plagiarism
  5. Leading-Edge Image Forensics
  6. Post-Publication Investigations (if needed)

You can read about each of these components in greater detail on Aging’s new Scientific Integrity webpage

The new webpage also depicts publishing statistics in a detailed graph (below)—showcasing a visual representation of the number of post-publication corrections and retractions by Aging compared to the industry average, between 2010 and 2022. As of September 2022, Aging’s average rate of corrections/retractions since 2009 is a low 2.33%. The industry average correction/retraction rate is 3.80%. 

Image forensics corrections/retractions (published & pending) as a percent of IF-eligible articles in Aging, 2009-2022

Aging’s highly-effective scientific integrity process allows researchers to read, share and cite Aging papers with confidence.

Click here for Aging’s full Scientific Integrity Process.

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Aging-US: Hallmarks of Cancer and Hallmarks of Aging

“Hyperfunctional signaling directly drives age-related diseases.”

— Mikhail Blagosklonny, M.D., Ph.D.

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BUFFALO, NY- May 18, 2022 – Dr. Mikhail Blagosklonny published his new review paper in Aging (Aging-US) Volume 14, Issue 9, entitled, “Hallmarks of cancer and hallmarks of aging.”

In this review, Dr. Blagosklonny expands on Gems and de Magalhães’ notion that canonic hallmarks of aging are superficial imitations of the hallmarks of cancer. He takes their work a step further and proposes the hallmarks of cancer and aging based on a hierarchical principle and the hyperfunction theory.

“Here I present the hallmarks of cancer, depicted as a circle by Hanahan and Weinberg [1], not as the circle but hierarchically, from molecular levels to the organism (Figure 1).”

Figure 1. Hierarchical representation (from molecular to organismal levels) of the original hallmarks of cancer based on Hanahan and Weinberg. See text for explanation.

Next, Dr. Blagosklonny depicts the hallmarks of aging suggested by López-Otín et al. based on the hierarchical principle. 

“This representation renders hallmarks tangible but reveals three shortcomings (Figure 2).”

Figure 2. Hierarchical representation of the hallmarks of aging based on López-Otín et al. See text for explanation.

The first shortcoming that Dr. Blagosklonny notes is the lack of hallmarks on the organismal level. The second is that the relationship between hallmarks on different levels is unclear. The third is that the inclusion of genetic instability as a hallmark is based on the theory that aging is caused by the accumulation of molecular damage. 

“The molecular damage theory was refuted by key experiments, as discussed in detail [44–51].” 

Dr. Blagosklonny then uses the hyperfunction theory to arrange the hierarchical hallmarks of aging.

“Let us depict hallmarks of aging, according to the hyperfunction theory of aging (Figure 3).”

Figure 3. Hierarchical hallmarks of aging based on hyperfunction theory, applicable to humans. Non-life-limiting hallmarks are shown in brown color. See text for explanation.

Dr. Blagosklonny continues by discussing the key to understanding aging and aging as a selective force for cancer. He concludes this review by discussing the common hallmarks of cancer, aging and cell senescence.

“In organismal aging, cancer and cellular senescence, the same key signaling pathways, such as mTOR, are involved. This is why the same drugs, such as rapamycin, can suppress all of them.”

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.204082 

Correspondence to: Mikhail V. Blagosklonny 

Email: [email protected][email protected] 

Keywords: oncology, carcinogenesis, geroscience, mTOR, rapamycin, hyperfunction theory

Follow Dr. Blagosklonny on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Blagosklonny

AGING (AGING-US) VIDEOS: YouTube | LabTube | Aging-US.com

About Aging-US:

Launched in 2009, Aging-US publishes papers of general interest and biological significance in all fields of aging research and age-related diseases, including cancer—and now, with a special focus on COVID-19 vulnerability as an age-dependent syndrome. Topics in Aging-US go beyond traditional gerontology, including, but not limited to, cellular and molecular biology, human age-related diseases, pathology in model organisms, signal transduction pathways (e.g., p53, sirtuins, and PI-3K/AKT/mTOR, among others), and approaches to modulating these signaling pathways.

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Press Release: Aging’s Latest Impact Factor

In June 2021, Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics) released their 2020 JCR Impact Factor. Aging‘s 2020 impact factor is 5.682.

In June 2021, Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics) released their 2020 JCR Impact Factor. Aging is pleased to report that our 2020 impact factor is 5.682.
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BUFFALO, NY-August 20, 2021 – Aging is indexed by Web of Science: Science Citation Index Expanded (abbreviated as Aging‑US). In June 2021, Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics) released their 2020 JCR Impact Factor. Aging is pleased to report that our 2020 impact factor is 5.682. This number has increased from last year’s 4.831. Without self-citation, Aging’s 2020 impact factor is 5.279.

Aging is listed in the Web of Science: Science Citation Index Expanded in two categories: Cell Biology and Geriatrics & Gerontology. According to the Journal Citation Indicator (JCI), Aging is ranked in the Q1 quartile in both categories. 

Since 2009, Aging has published research papers in all fields of aging research including, but not limited to, aging from yeast to mammals, cellular senescence, age-related diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s diseases and their prevention and treatment, anti-aging strategies and drug development and especially the role of signal transduction pathways such as mTOR in aging and potential approaches to modulate these signaling pathways to extend lifespan.

This journal aims to promote treatment of age-related diseases by slowing down aging, validation of anti-aging drugs by treating age-related diseases, and prevention of cancer by inhibiting aging. Cancer and COVID-19 are age-related diseases.

To learn more about Aging, publication standards, and past or current issues, visit www.aging-us.com.

For media requests, please contact [email protected].

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About Impact Journals:

Impact Journals is an open-access publisher of research journals in biomedical sciences. Our publications focus on topics surrounding cancer research and all fields of aging research. Our mission is to provide scientists with the opportunity to share their exceptional discoveries, offer services that enable rapid dissemination of results, and to present vital findings from the many fields of biomedical science.

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Participating in the 2021 AACR Annual Meeting: Aging (by Impact Journals)

As the world continues to account for COVID-19, this year the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting will be a virtual event. Aging, by Impact Journals, is proud to be a participant in the conference on April 10-15 and May 17-21, 2021.

As the world continues to account for COVID-19, this year the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting will be a virtual event. Aging, by Impact Journals, is proud to be a participant in the conference on April 10-15 and May 17-21, 2021.
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BUFFALO, NY-MARCH 25, 2021 – Aging is indexed by PubMed/Medline abbreviated as “Aging (Albany NY)”, PubMed Central, ISI/Web of Science: Science Citation Index Expanded (abbreviated as Aging‑US and listed in the Cell Biology category; since June 2017 it has also been listed in the Geriatrics & Gerontology category), and Scopus /Rank Q1 (abbreviated as Aging).

Every year, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) organizes a conference program that covers the latest discoveries in cancer research. Topics include population science and prevention, cancer biology, translational and clinical studies, survivorship, and advocacy. This conference aims to highlight work from the best minds in research and medicine from institutions all over the world. The journal Aging, by Impact Journals, will be participating at the AACR Annual Meeting this year. 

Impact Journals is an open-access publisher of rigorously peer-reviewed scientific literature, and owns four medical research journals, including Aging. Aging was launched by Impact Journals in 2009 with the goal of spotlighting high-impact papers, authored by scientists who study the process of aging and age-related diseases—including cancer—and now, with a special focus on COVID-19 vulnerability as an age-dependent syndrome. 

Aging has published outstanding papers and reviews by highly-cited authors and award winners, including Andrew V. Schally (Nobel Laureate), Shinya Yamanaka (Nobel Laureate), Lawrence Donehower, Toren Finkel, Stephen Helfand, Gerald Shadel, Andre Nussenzweig, Maurice Burg, Karen Vousden, Leonard Guarente, and Dale Bredesen. Importantly, the Aging Editorial Board also comprises numerous prestigious award winners, including Nobel Laureate Elizabeth H. Blackburn, and many other distinguished scientists, including Cynthia Kenyon, Judith Campisi, Leonard Guarente, Michael Hall, Mikhail Blagosklonny, Vera Gorbunova, David Sinclair, Jan Vijg, and Thomas Rando. 

The journal has recently concluded its 12th year of publishing and has become Impact Journals’ featured journal. Learn more about Aging and Impact Journals at the virtual 2021 AACR conference on April 10-15 and May 17-21, 2021. Registration will be open through the beginning of the event.

About Aging

To learn more about Aging, its publication standards, and past or current issues, visit www.aging-us.com.

Follow us on social media @AgingJrnl on Twitter and @AgingUS on Facebook.

About Impact Journals:

Impact Journals is an open-access publisher with four scientific journals: Aging, Oncotarget, Genes & Cancer, and Oncoscience. Our mission to provide scientists with the opportunity to share their exceptional discoveries, offer services that enable rapid dissemination of results, and to present vital findings from the many fields of biomedical science. Our goal is life without disease.

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