"Anti-Aging Medicine Conference kicks off

Manama, Jan. 20 (BNA): The President of the Supreme Council of Health (SCH), Lieutenantt-General Dr Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, patronised the opening of the "Anti-Aging Medicine Conference: Scientific Secrets of Longevity", organised by the Princess Al-Jawhara Al-Ibrahim Centre at the Arabian Gulf University (AGU) on 20-21 January 2019 at the Centre’s headquarters here. The two-day conference attracted specialists from Bahrain, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states and other countries. The conference is held amid a demographic outlook in the region indicating a steady increase in the number of the elderly from 5% now to 20% of the total population by 2030, which will have a significant impact on the social and health care system, the workforce and retirement requirements. Addressing the conference, the SCH president stressed that although aging can not be stopped, anti-aging medicine seeks to achieve the dream of many to maintain their youth by using different therapeutic methods that may delay aging through gene therapy and regenerative medicine. He added that despite the tremendous development witnessed by the anti-aging medicine in the world, age progress is something that can not be stopped, noting that previously aging is a dynamic process that affects cells over time and becomes incapable of division and self regenerative, but anti-aging and life-prolonging medicine are trying to stop this process and and there are attempts to extend the life of humans to 150 years, according to research centres around the world. He explained that the gene therapy, regenerative medicine and food supplements are among of the most important methods used in the fight against aging, as eating nutritional supplements and using some lotions may restore time back in the life of the cell or at least slow it down, leading to delay in aging. AGU President, Dr Khalid bin Abdulrahman Al-Ohaly, said that AGU aims to become a regional centre that leads scientific progress in various medical fields, and attracts medical sciences that detemines the future of medicine across the GCC. Director of Al-Jawhara Centre and the conference chairman, Dr Moiz Bakhiet, said that the conference brings together a group of experts from Bahrain, the GCC, and countries all across the world such as Japan, Canada, Austria, the UK, Denmark, Belgium and the US. He added that the conference will discuss several scientific papers pertinent to brain anti-aging science, hormonal anti-aging therapy, stem cell applications and gene therapy, nutrigenomic and efficient nutritional therapies, and many other related topics.”