What can DNA tell us about how we age? Can aged cells regain younger characteristics? What role do telomeres, epigenetics or regenerative medicine play in prolonging healthy life? These are some of the questions currently at the forefront of global research and they will be answered in Bucharest by international researchers and experts gathered at the International Longevity Congress - 2nd edition. The event, organized by the Scientific Senate of the Dan Voiculescu Foundation for the Development of Romania, in partnership with the International Longevity Alliance and the VETEK Association, will take place on the 24th of September, 2026 at the National Library of Romania and will bring to Bucharest experts from Europe, the USA, Israel, India and Saudi Arabia.
Under the theme "From Science to Medical Practice", this year's edition is built around the concept of healthspan - the extension of the healthy and functional life span. The stakes of the congress are specific: how can discoveries in the biology of aging be turned into tools for prevention, diagnosis, monitoring and personalized interventions. The speakers of the International Longevity Congress are scientists who do not talk about longevity only as a promise for the future, but are researching it today, from the level of genes and cells to regeneration and new biotechnologies.
Dr Maria Blasco, a molecular biologist and leader of the Telomeres and Telomerase Group at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), is one of the leading names in the biology of aging. Co-author of the work "The Hallmarks of Aging", she has been researching telomeres and their role in aging, tissue regeneration and age-related diseases for over two decades. From the Harvard Medical School comes Patrick Paine, a researcher involved in the study of partial cellular reprogramming. He is co-author of a study that managed to restore younger molecular characteristics in aged human cells, without losing their cellular identity - one of the directions investigated today in biological rejuvenation research.
Prof. Valerio Orlando, a professor of biosciences at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, is one of the pioneers of modern epigenetics. His research focuses on the “repeatome,” a region of the genome involved in aging and regeneration, and his team’s work has led to patents on bone tissue repair. Another exciting area of research comes through Anton Kulaga, a researcher in longevity biology and bioinformatics at the Rostock University Medical Centre. He is co-author of a study that mapped the activity of grey whale genes and identified adaptations associated with DNA repair, stress resistance, and cancer protection - mechanisms relevant to understanding longevity.
Women's health is represented by Dr. Elizabete Ārgale, an obstetrician-gynaecologist and researcher at Rīga Stradiņš University. She studies the impact of menopause on the heart, bones and mental health and has contributed to international recommendations on the care of women during menopause and after gynaecological cancer.
Dr Ravi Kumar Chaudhary, a biomedical researcher at the Government Institute of Medical Sciences, is participating from India. His research has included the direct transformation of muscle cells into heart-like cells, without the intermediate stem cell step. He was designated a Young Investigator for India and Southeast Asia in a program supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Walter Crompton, a biomedical engineer and executive director of the American Longevity Alliance, brings his experience in the field of biotechnology. Co-inventor of patented cardiac probes for Boston Scientific, Crompton became involved early in longevity projects and participated as a volunteer in the TRIIM pilot study, dedicated to the thymus regeneration in humans.
Dr Ilia Stambler, President of the International Longevity Alliance and Scientific Director and President of VETEK, will also be present in Bucharest. One of the international promoters of longevity research, Stambler initiated “Longevity Day and Month”, a campaign extending to dozens of countries, supported the inclusion of aging on the World Health Organization’s agenda.
A different perspective on the future of the field will be brought by José Luis Cordeiro, engineer, economist and founder of the Madrid International Longevity Summit. Known for his provocative vision on the evolution of technology and longevity, Cordeiro argues that technological progress could make aging treatable around 2045 and is the co-author of the bestseller “The Death of Death”.
Along with international experts, the Congress will also bring together leading specialists from Romania - doctors, researchers, university professors and professionals from fields related to longevity medicine. Together, they will discuss the local perspective and the applicability of new scientific directions in medical practice, from prevention and diagnosis to monitoring, personalized medicine and the use of new technologies in health.
The presence of these experts at the International Longevity Congress provides the 2026 edition with an interdisciplinary perspective on longevity: from the aging-determining molecular mechanisms to technologies and interventions in various stages of research and validation. The International Longevity Congress does not start from the promise of a “Youth Without Age”, but from the question that increasingly preoccupies contemporary medicine: how can we turn extra years into years lived in a better health?
