February 14, 2023 – LONDON – The Longevity Science Foundation (LSF), an international nonprofit funding cutting-edge longevity research, has partnered with King’s College London, a globally renowned educational institution, to advance human longevity education and research. King’s College London (KCL) is the LSF’s first academic partner.
Ageing Research at King’s (ARK) is an educational consortium at KCL conducting industry-leading research on therapeutics, diagnostics, the social impact of ageing and more. The LSF will join the ARK in spearheading a new body of research and educational efforts around ageing, psychedelics and mental health treatments. This aligns closely with the LSF’s open funding callfor projects exploring the synergies between these areas.
Mental health is an instrumental component of human longevity, as it directly influences brain health and physical well-being. Researchers believe better and more accessible approaches to mental health treatments, including new applications of psychedelics like psilocybin and cannabis, will contribute to a greater understanding of other ageing-related diseases. By understanding how these compounds impact the brain, they hope to unlock discoveries about neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Mental health, psychedelics and longevity are closely linked to other emerging technologies like blockchain and cryptocurrency, and the partnership will draw from these communities to advance research and raise awareness.
The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), part of ARK, is ranked second in the world for psychology and psychiatry (US News, Best Global Universities) and is one of the world’s largest centres for neuroscience research. The LSF will support strategic initiatives related to research on longevity and psychedelics at the Centre for Mental Health Research and Innovation, also part of the ARK network. The Centre is a new initiative at King's in partnership with COMPASS Pathways, led by Dr James Rucker and Prof Allan Young, Head of Academic Psychiatry. COMPASS Pathways plc (Nasdaq: CMPS) is a mental health care company dedicated to accelerating patient access to evidence-based innovation in mental health.
An international team of researchers, physicians and visionaries established the Longevity Science Foundation in 2021. Since its establishment, the Foundation has put out two funding calls to support early-stage research on ageing clocks and psychedelics for mental health treatments. Similarly, ARK contributes to national and international discussions on healthy longevity and its implications for society, healthcare, and policymakers. The ARK has partnerships with several global stakeholders across longevity and ageing.
“Ageing Research at King’s College is one of the longevity industry’s foremost educational institutions,” Lisa E. Ireland, president and CEO of the LSF, said. “We are honoured to support their groundbreaking work and establish an enriched body of knowledge around emerging treatments for mental health and other under-explored aspects of human longevity.”
“We are committed to changing the way society views mental health and longevity,” Dr Richard Siow, director of ARK, said. “By partnering with the LSF, we will work with their expert board and visionary community to ensure our research is actionable and promotes accessibility within the longevity field.”
The LSF and ARK will be hosting a partnership kick-off event entitled “Adding Years to Our Lives and Life to Our Years: An Afternoon with the Longevity Science Foundation and Aging Research at King's College London” on the 15th of March in London (tickets are available here). Their joint programming will highlight the potential of psychedelic applications for mental health and longevity, featuring Lisa Ireland of the LSF, Prof Allan Young, Prof Dag Aarsland, Dr. Guy Goodwin of COMPASS Pathways and Catherine Bird.
Lisa will also join Dr. Siow, a Visiting Senior Academic in Oxford University’s Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics and Dr. Swietach, a professor of Physiology at Oxford University, for a seminar on longevity breakthroughs and early-stage research on 13th March at Oxford University’s Department Of Physiology Anatomy & Genetics.
Poster for the upcoming seminar at Oxford University.
The Longevity Science Foundation is a global non-profit organisation advancing human longevity by funding research and developing medical technologies to extend the healthy human lifespan. The long-term mission of the Longevity Science Foundation is to help make longevity-focused care accessible to everyone, no matter their background, by bringing cutting-edge science on ageing out of the laboratory and into the mainstream. To learn more, visit www.longevity.foundation.
From its base at King's College London, ARK is a cross-faculty multidisciplinary consortium of global researchers and innovators working on ageing and longevity. It includes faculties like the IoPPN and programs like the Centre for Mental Health Research and Innovation and brings together expertise in healthy ageing in multiple complementary areas and represents King's world-class excellence for research from basic mechanisms in biogerontology and clinical translation to social impact of ageing and technology transfer. The primary purpose of ARK is to enhance interdisciplinary collaborations within King's to better understand the mechanisms of ageing, improving health-span and longevity leading through innovation and entrepreneurship. As ageing consists of complex systems at the level of biology, psychology, society and public policy, in order to understand the processes of ageing and the nature of old age itself, it is important to bring together innovation from complementary disciplines. ARK is uniquely positioned to address the challenges of an ageing world, and to provide solutions at multiple levels, from cellular mechanisms and therapeutics to technology innovations, social impact and data sciences, facilitated through the ARK academic-industry hub and our global partners.