Tagged: Press Release

Mikhail Blagosklonny

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

January 16, 2025

“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: DOI: https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.206189

Corresponding author: David A. Barzilai, david.longevity@gmail.com

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

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About Aging:

The journal Aging aims to promote 1) treatment of age-related diseases by slowing down aging, 2) validation of anti-aging drugs by treating age-related diseases, and 3) prevention of cancer by inhibiting aging. (Cancer and COVID-19 are age-related diseases.)

Aging is indexed by PubMed/Medline (abbreviated as “Aging (Albany NY)”), PubMed Central, Web 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).

Please visit our website at www.Aging-US.com​​ and connect with us:

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For media inquiries, please contact media@impactjournals.com.

Oncotarget

Open-Access Oncotarget Shifts to Continuous Publishing

January 6, 2022

As of 2022, the peer-reviewed and open-access journal Oncotarget has shifted to continuous publishing.

As of January 1, 2022, Oncotarget has shifted to a continuous publishing model. Papers will now be published continuously within yearly volumes in their final and complete form.
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BUFFALO, NY, January 6, 2022 – Since its inception in 2010, Oncotarget has operated as a traditional-style journal that publishes online page numbered issues of peer-reviewed papers. Final paginated issues were then released in their permanent form to Pubmed.

As of 2022, Oncotarget has shifted to a continuous publishing model. Papers will now be published continuously within yearly volumes in their final and complete form. This means that qualified, rigorously peer-reviewed articles will be published online as soon as they are in their fully formatted and final version of record. With continuous publication, articles posted online are complete with citation details and are available in full text html and PDF formats. Additionally, research papers will appear on PubMed quickly—just days after the papers are published by Oncotarget.

Why the change? In an increasingly digital world, the open-access continuous publishing model is ideal for authors, researchers and overall readership. Continuous publishing allows for faster research dissemination, citation and clinical application, compared to a traditional format.

Oncotarget is committed to doing our part to ensure that research is available to the biomedical community as quickly as possible, while maintaining high standards of quality.

To learn more about Oncotarget, visit Oncotarget.com or connect with us on social media:

About Impact Journals (Oncotarget’s publisher):

Impact Journals is a New York-based open-access publisher with a mission to provide scientists with the opportunity to share their exceptional discoveries, and to present vital findings from different fields of biomedical science. Our goal is life without disease.

For media inquiries, please contact media@impactjournals.com.