Bringing together eminent scientists, researchers, and industry leaders, the Longevity India Conference 2025 – Rise for Healthy Aging hosted at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru opened on 10 March with unique insights into ageing science and longevity.
With the key theme of Biological Foundations and Mechanisms of Ageing, the conference highlighted notable developments and trends through four major sessions covering ageing research, biological mechanisms, lifestyle medicine, and holistic health approaches.
Dinesh Gundu Rao, Minister for Health and Family Welfare of Karnataka; Manjunath Bhandary, MLC, Government of Karnataka and Govindan Rangarajan, Director of IISc were among the key dignitaries who addressed the inaugural session. Following this, engaging discussions were held on ageing science, with thought-provoking insights from global experts.
Additionally, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has also awarded support to the Longevity India Initiative at IISc, to establish a Centre for Advanced Research in Ageing, marking a significant milestone in India's efforts to address the challenges of aging and age-related diseases.
The Centre will explore India-specific biomarkers, create organ-specific ageing models, and study the gut-brain connection, in order to develop strategies for healthy aging through biology, data science, and clinical research.
The conference featured insightful sessions on ageing science, starting with Deepak Saini (Longevity India, IISc), who discussed groundbreaking research at the Saini Lab and the launch of Longevity India. Brian Kennedy (Centre for Healthy Longevity, NUS) emphasised the need for translational research to validate longevity interventions.
In a session moderated by Narendra Dixit (IISc), experts like Satchidananda Panda (Salk Institute) and Maxim Artyomov (WashU Medicine) explored ageing mechanisms like circadian rhythms, immune aging, and cellular longevity. Prasun Chatterjee (AIIMS, Delhi) highlighted the role of biomarkers in longevity, while discussions on lifestyle medicine by Samuel Hansdak (CMC Vellore) and Shayana Chandrakant Parekh (IISc) focused on the effects of nutrition, exercise, and sleep.
G.R. Rajendran (PSG Hospitals) discussed plant-based nutrition for heart health, and Vivekanand Upadhyay (FÖNXIER Spine and Pain Center) emphasised exercise for longevity. N. Srikanth (Dy. Director General, Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences) explored Ayurveda’s connection to modern longevity science, with other panelists from across universities and the National Innovation Foundation.
