Morning, long-lifers. Here’s what’s new:

Microplastics found in blood — a filter might flush them out, not your celery juice.

Finally, a detox that doesn’t require a blender or a Pinterest board.

Don’t keep longer. a secret—share it with your friends!

This week in longevity:

• 💊 Metformin linked to living past 90

• 🧠 Brain circuits could be swapped like spare parts

• 🏋️‍♀️ New therapy reverses muscle loss in first trial

• 🧴 Skincare now treats aging from DNA to dermis

• ❄️ Austrian spa blends cryo, oxygen, and diagnostics

• Plus, more longevity breakthroughs.

Read time: 5 minutes

THIS WEEK IN LONGEVITY

🧪 Blood filter may help clear microplastics from the body

Researchers have found signs that a common blood-cleansing procedure might also pull out tiny plastic particles. It’s early evidence, but it opens the door to a future where detoxing means more than green juice and good intentions.

What to know:

• The procedure is already in use: Therapeutic apheresis is a filtering technique where blood is drawn out, passed through a machine to remove certain components, then returned to the body.

• Microplastics found in patients’ blood: In a study of 21 people with post-viral fatigue, researchers detected microplastic-like particles in the filtered waste — but not in the clean equipment or fluids.

• What was found: Particles matched industrial plastics like nylon and polyurethane, including some smaller than 200 nanometers (that’s smaller than a virus).

• Testing tool isn’t perfect: The method (ATR-FT-IR spectroscopy) identifies chemical “fingerprints,” but can’t precisely quantify plastics — and might also pick up proteins.

• More proof needed: This is a small, early-stage study. Larger trials will need to confirm that apheresis reliably removes microplastics and whether that actually improves health.

Why it’s important: Microplastics are in our water, food, and now — our blood. If they’re quietly undermining our health, we’ll need ways to get them out, not just avoid them. Think of this like a HEPA filter for your bloodstream — still in beta.

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💊 Metformin linked to longer life

Women who took metformin — a common diabetes drug — were more likely to live past 90 than those on another medication. It’s not quite a fountain of youth, but it might be the most interesting thing in your medicine cabinet.

What to know:

• Studied in real-world data: Researchers used long-term data from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), which has tracked over 160,000 women for more than 30 years.

• Metformin vs sulfonylurea: Those taking metformin had a 30% lower risk of dying before age 90 compared to women taking sulfonylureas (an older type of diabetes drug).

• Not compared to placebo: Since it wasn’t tested against no treatment, researchers can’t yet confirm whether metformin itself causes the longevity boost.

• Why it’s promising: Metformin targets several aging-related processes — including inflammation, mitochondrial function (your cells’ energy engines), and insulin signaling.

• A bigger trend: Metformin is part of a growing class called gerotherapeutics — drugs being explored for their potential to slow aging.

Why it’s important: If a widely used, low-cost drug can help extend lifespan, it could reshape how we think about aging — not just treating disease, but delaying it. Aging quietly starts in your 30s; maybe prevention should too.

💡 Want to break down a research article? Try this prompt in ChatGPT:
“Explain this in plain language. Avoid science terms. Keep it under 5 sentences. Then give 5 takeaways based only on this summary—no extra info or guesses: [Paste the article here]”

 MONEY MOVES IN LONGEVITY

💰 Regeneron acquires 23andMe for $256M—15M genomes now fuel its drug engine at warp speed.

💰 Somite AI lands $47M to build DeltaStem for cell therapy R&D—regeneration just got a new operating system.

💰 Therini Bio adds $39M to take anti-fibrin antibody into Alzheimer’s and DME trials—clots out, clarity in.

💰 BrightFocus Foundation awards $13M to 50 researchers for brain and vision diseases—seed money where it matters most.

 IN THE SPOTLIGHT

1. Slowing muscle aging with enzyme tweak
Turning down HDAC11, an enzyme that slows fat burning in muscle cells, preserved strength, stem cells, and repair in aging mice. Drugs that block it already exist. The shift improved mitochondrial function, lowered harmful fats, and helped muscles resist age-related decline. More energy, better recovery, and less frailty could be within reach.

2. Stem cell signals show anti-aging effects
Stem cells and tiny bubbles they release, called vesicles, improved brain and organ health and extended lifespan in aging animals. Human results are still unclear. These treatments lower inflammation and may slow aging, but we can’t yet measure how well they work. Big hopes, but the data’s still catching up.

3. Cosmetics meet science to slow skin aging
Researchers propose “longevity cosmeceuticals”—products that go beyond looks to target real biological aging in the skin. They must meet strict scientific standards. These actives aim to boost skin health by hitting aging at the cellular level, not just masking wrinkles. Think of it as skincare with a lab coat on.

THE NEXT BIG THING

Longevity Goes Vertical

An abandoned office tower in San Francisco is now a living lab for aging research.

The 16-story Frontier Tower is hosting 350 scientists, founders, and biohackers for a six-week experiment in fast-tracking clinical ideas—from daily workouts and shared meals to rooftop debates and roundtable trials.

Launched by Viva.city and Berlinhouse, this pop-up city aims to prove a bigger concept: that reimagined real estate can speed up the science of aging.

More than a vibe shift—it’s a prototype for what comes next.

WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS WEEK

🧠 Upgrade Aging: A new Nature Aging paper proposes replacing aging body parts—cells, organs, even brain circuits—before they fail. The bold plan treats aging as modular wear, not an unsolvable mystery.

💪 Muscle Boost: Juvena starts its first human trial of JUV-161, a protein therapy that reverses muscle loss by restoring youthful growth signals. It targets myotonic dystrophy first, with wider aging applications next.

🧴 Skin System: SYSTEM SKIN, a Madrid-born brand, uses deep-tech and systems biology to treat skin as a whole aging network, not just surface flaws. Its Omniverse® tech optimizes skin from DNA to muscle.

❄️ Forest Reboot: Naturhotel Forsthofgut’s new WaldSpa Health in Austria offers cryotherapy, oxygen treatments, and AI-guided diagnostics. The goal: long-term vitality through nature and science.

☀️ Winter Shield: A 10-week indoor workout cut winter vitamin D loss by 40% in a UK study—no sun or supplements needed. Exercise kept immunity-boosting vitamin D at healthy, active levels.

WHAT WE’RE BOOKMARKING

📱 Social

🎧 Podcasts

📰 Articles

⚙️ Tools to Try

Thanks for reading.

See you in the next issue.

Anna

DISCLAIMER: The information provided in this newsletter is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your healthcare provider before making any changes to your health or wellness routine.