Controlling aging and prolonging life are ideas that have attracted the attention of people since ancient times. Aging is also a risk factor in the onset of lifestyle diseases and cancer. Methods and biologically active substances that control aging also have the potential for use in therapeutic drugs and health foods. On the other hand, limiting calorie intake to 60 to 70% of the calories freely available, has been shown to extend life and reduce the onset of age-related illnesses in everything from yeast cells to mice, and rhesus monkeys.

We have established a system of using cultured cells for screening and transgenic mice to examine and evaluate substances that have the equivalent effect in anti-aging as calorie restriction. Pro-longevity transcription factor binding sites (DFCR-RE: dwarfism and calorie restriction-response element) are incorporated into upstream regions of the reporter gene (secreted alkaline phosphatase) to indirectly measure the stimulation of transcription factors bound to these sites. We also carry out analyses with a focus on neuropeptide Y in the metabolic pathways of anti-aging effects.

SIRT 1 activator is traditional technology used in the search for sirtuin activators to mimic calorie restriction, but there were problems associated with it such as the existence of artifacts, in vitro and in vivo differences in effect, the existence of other targeted molecules, etc., and the fact is that there are currently no suitable evaluation systems. Our method allows prediction of the effects over time spans of several days to several weeks. We can also analyze live mice in real time. It is not a method that targets specific molecules, but targets pathways or phenotypes associated with anti-aging, and there are expectations for it to lead to the identification of new anti-aging substances with effects never found before.

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