Dr. Heather Oxford received her MPH degree in epidemiology from Emory University and worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, before receiving her DVM degree from the University of Tennessee. Upon completion of a small animal veterinary internship in Los Angeles, she practiced conventional veterinary medicine before becoming certified in acupuncture and rehabilitation medicine. Dr. Oxford became a diplomate of the American Board of Anti-Aging Health Practitioners in 2023.
| 1:50 PM-2:50 PM |
Age as a Disease Model: The Hallmarks of AgingThis lecture will summarize the hallmarks of aging, which include: genomic instability, telomere attrition, epigenetic alterations, loss of proteostasis, deregulated nutrient sensing, mitochondrial dysfunction, cellular senescence, stem cell exhaustion, altered intercellular communication, compromised autophagy, microbiome disturbance, and inflammation. These hallmarks have an interconnectedness that controls the rate of cellular disease processes and death and determines an organism’s aging-related morbidity and mortality. Each of these hallmarks are considered either primary, antagonistic, or integrative, and their interplay determines various pathways to disease. |
| 3:00 PM-4:00 PM |
Is Aging Reversible…or Preventable?Epigenetics are thought to play at least 70% of the role of regulation of aging, with genetics playing only 30%. As we age, our epigenome changes many times. Epigenetic alterations are a primary hallmark of aging that unequivocally promotes aging and is under direct environmental influences. These environmental influences can be modified to promote longevity through dietary restrictions to up-regulate the AMPK pathway, plant-based nutrition to down-regulate the mTOR pathway, exercise, maintaining a normal sleep/circadian rhythm cycle, and by pheromones and maintenance of sex hormones. With the advent of the “Horvath” clock, we now have a valid method to measure DNA methylation to determine an organism’s epigenetic/biological age and rate of aging versus chronological age. |
| 4:30 PM-5:30 PM |
Anti-Aging Medicine: The Fountain of Youth?Many dietary supplements and medications have been reported to have anti-aging effects that result in longevity in humans and animals. Each of these longevity-promoters have specific mechanisms of action, including sirtuin activation, down-regulation of mTOR, and up-regulation of AMPK1. Various animal and human products aid lifestyle factors to impact the pathways of aging, and when used in a calculated, measured approach, can promote a healthier, longer health span. The daily advances being made in anti-aging research come from invertebrate and mouse studies as well as ongoing human and canine research projects. This lecture will discuss major findings involving Resveratrol, NAD+ precursors, Metformin, Rapamycin, Fisetin, and other key players in longevity that have been shown to reverse cellular aging in mammals. |
