[ExI] Please support biomedical research of aging at WHO consultation – deadline today, October 30!

Fri Oct 30 10:44:06 UTC 2015

Dear colleagues,

Please support the recognition by the World Health Organization (WHO) of
the importance of biological and biomedical research of aging for the
development of effective health care for the global aging population! Now
is a wonderful opportunity to do so, *by sending an opinion survey to the
WHO’s consultation on the Global Strategy and Action Plan on Ageing and
Health* that takes place in Geneva right now. *The last time this can be
done is today, October 30.* Here is the participation page:
http://www.who.int/ageing/consultation/en/

It is possible to download the full questionnaire as a Word file and send
to HealthyAgeing at who.int

Or there is a choice to relate online to several or one strategic objective
out of the five, for example “Strategic Objective 5: Improving measuring,
monitoring and understanding” [of healthy aging]

http://www.who.int/ageing/consultation-strategic-objective5/en/

The Action plan draft is available here: “WHO DRAFT 0: GLOBAL STRATEGY AND
ACTION PLAN ON AGEING AND HEALTH”.

http://www.who.int/ageing/global-strategy/GSAP-ageing-health-draft.pdf?ua=1

http://www.who.int/ageing/global-strategy/en/

There may be several quite encouraging elements in the existing draft of
the Action Plan, that can be interpreted as supportive of biomedical
research of aging to improve healthy longevity.

Thus the Strategic Objective 5: “Improving measuring, monitoring and
understanding”, speaks of the need for “biomarkers for key concepts related
to healthy ageing” AND "testing of clinical interventions” [!] (Action 1).
It also requests countries to develop “evidence informed national Healthy
Ageing strategies or plans that are part of overall national plans through
a process that involves all stakeholders” (“Strategic Objective 1:
Fostering healthy ageing in every country” Action 1) [presumably these
national plans should include programs for biomedical research] AND
“including core geriatric and gerontological competencies in all health
curriculums” (Strategic Objective 2: Aligning health systems to the needs
of the older populations. Action 3) [presumably these competencies should
include education on biological aging processes].

All these elements can be interpreted as supportive of biomedical research
of aging and could already be used in advocacy! Yet, it is still necessary
to infuse, emphasize and make more explicit the biomedical/biological
interpretation. Otherwise, the text may be given to various
interpretations, not necessarily supportive of biomedical approaches aimed
at therapy.

This emphasis can be made in several ways. For example, the International
Longevity Alliance proposes to emphasize the following messages (please
find attached their filled in WHO questionnaire that can be used as a
template and suggestion):

“The need to address aging challenges by first increasing the *healthy*
life expectancy, not the unhealthy one (!), with therefore a strong
emphasis on *biomedical aging research*, both fundamental and translated to
populations, and for both preventative and curative solutions” and
furthermore encouraging a shift of terms from “healthy aging” to “healthy
longevity” (as the latter term is more logically and scientifically
correct, and more encouraging and proactive)

The Israeli Longevity Alliance (on behalf of which I personally submitted
the questionnaire) advocates along very similar lines and proposes to bulk
up the Strategic Objective 5: “Improving measuring, monitoring and
understanding”, with a stronger and more explicit emphasis on biological
and biomedical research of aging (also please find attached the survey,
that addresses specifically this Objective).

Thus, to the question of the consultation: “For Strategic Objective 5, do
you think another first-level priority action should be added to this
list?” it is proposed to add the fourth action: “4) Elucidating basic
mechanisms and processes of aging, their relation to disease, and
mechanisms of their amelioration for the development of therapies to
achieve healthy longevity.”

And of course the critical need for biomedical research of aging to improve
healthy longevity can be expressed in many other ways. Please dedicate a
few minutes to filling in this survey and sending it to WHO at
HealthyAgeing at who.int. You may consider writing in the subject line “*In
support of biomedical research of aging at the WHO Consultation*” to stress
the main message. Please also consider forwarding this appeal to
colleagues. Currently the consultation received about 350 survey responses,
very few of which address biomedical research of aging, of which none
apparently included in the WHO consultation summaries. A few dozen more
responses in support of biomedical research, especially on behalf of
respected organizations and institutes, may produce a critical shift of
opinion balance at WHO. And a shift of attitude in favor of biomedical
research of aging at WHO may produce a corresponding shift of attitude in
the global public health system*.  Please express your support for
biomedical research of aging at WHO today!* (And let us already prepare for
the Action Plan implementation.)

Thank you!

Ilia Stambler, PhD

Chair. Israeli Longevity Alliance.

Outreach Coordinator. International Society on Aging and Disease (ISOAD)

http://www.longevityforall.org/who-consultation-on-the-global-strategy-and-action-plan-on-ageing-and-health/

-- 

Ilia Stambler, PhD

Outreach Coordinator. International Society on Aging and Disease - ISOAD
http://isoad.org

Chair. Israeli Longevity Alliance / International Longevity Alliance
(Israel) - ILA *http://www.longevityisrael.org/
<http://www.longevityisrael.org/>*

Coordinator. Longevity for All http://www.longevityforall.org

Author. Longevity History. *A History of Life-Extensionism in the Twentieth
Century* http://longevityhistory.com

Email: ilia.stambler at gmail.com

Tel: 972-3-961-4296 / 0522-283-578

Rishon Lezion. Israel
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