Longevity author and pioneer Peter Attia has co-founded a new US health and diagnostics clinic which aims to advance human lifespan.

Biograph, co-founded with John Hering, has opened what it calls “the world’s most advanced preventative health and diagnostics clinic” in the San Francisco Bay Area with plans to expand globally and open its second clinic in New York City later this year.

It aims to enable members to take full control of their health by assessing risk and insights across five critical health pillars: atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, metabolic dysfunction, brain health and neurodegenerative disease, cancer risk and early detection, and quality of life metrics.

Attia, author of Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity, says: “Diagnostics are foundational to evaluating and implementing an effective health strategy informed by a systems-based approach, as well as comprehensive analyses that consider each data point within the context of an individual’s entire health picture.

“Biograph’s evaluation is best in class, which is why I recommend my patients start here.”

Co-founder John Hering says: “Inspired by one of my best friend’s cancer diagnosis, Biograph was founded on the belief that with the proper application of advanced medical technology and early detection, we can save lives.

“There is no greater investment we can make in the future, as individuals or humanity, than in our health. With an approach rooted in scientific evidence, Biograph is poised to be an integral catalyst helping to redefine what it means to live a better and longer life.”

The preventive healthcare market is expected to reach US$773.1bn by 2034, driven in part by the paradigm shift away from a traditional treatment-focused health system to one that supports prevention and proactively identifies the root causes of aging.

Biograph’s assessment protocol has been developed with support from Dr Michael Doney, an emergency medicine physician turned precision longevity clinician and researcher.

He says: “My transition from emergency medicine to the preventive health field stemmed from a conviction that patients deserve a more comprehensive understanding of their health and well-being. Recognising the variability in quality among health tests, scans, and assessments, I was drawn to Biograph’s mission.

“We are committed to providing the most in-depth analysis of a broad range of health factors, enabling members to not only extend their lifespan but, more importantly, to optimise their healthspan and overall quality of life.”

A new UK service aimed at supporting older people who are starting to become frail, could reduce emergency hospital admissions by more than a third and save the NHS money.

The results from the clinical trial, published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), evaluated the effect and cost-effectiveness of a new service, consisting of six personalised home-based visits from a support worker, tailored to each person to identify what they need to stay well and independent.

Interventions could include home exercise programmes, nutritional support to improve energy levels, improving mental wellbeing and increasing social connections.

The researchers tested the service with 388 people, who were over the age of 65 and assessed as having “mild frailty”, across three areas of the UK (London, Hertfordshire and Yorkshire). Of these participants, 195 people were randomly allocated to receive the service, while 193 received their usual care, with no additional support.

Frailty is when someone is less able to recover after a health problem. It is common in people over 65 and increases disability, hospitalisations and care needs.

Participants in the trial were followed up for one year.

The researchers found that people who received the service had a 35% reduction in unplanned hospital admissions, leading to an average saving of £586 per person to the NHS over the year of the study.

Lead author, Professor Kate Walters (UCL Epidemiology & Health Care) said: “We developed the new service in partnership with experts, older people and carers, with the hope of helping people with mild frailty to maintain their independence and stay healthy for longer.

“We found that by providing personalised home-based support to those in need, we can significantly reduce emergency hospital admissions and potentially free up hospital resources. Our study demonstrates the impact of tailored interventions on maintaining independence and improving overall well-being.”

The researchers found that there were additional benefits to the service, including small improvements in wellbeing, psychological distress and frailty score.

However, the new service didn’t improve levels of independence in self-care.

NIHR Health Technology Assessment (HTA) programme director, Andrew Farmer, said: “The HomeHealth intervention can help older adults with mild frailty stay independent, improving quality of life and overall well-being, while reducing hospital and care costs.

“By addressing key factors like strength, nutrition, and social engagement, it can reduce deterioration and the need for intensive support.

“High quality research such as this is an important part of improving future health and care practice.”

With the right funding and support, the researchers hope the service could be available to patients across the country within two years.

Professor Walters added: “By investing in preventative measures, the health service may be able to reap benefits of savings elsewhere in the system.”

The research was carried out in collaboration with Age UK.

Hundreds of NHS patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease are set to benefit from a wearable drug infusion to help better control their symptoms.

The treatment, called foslevodopa–foscarbidopa, is gradually released around-the-clock, and will now offer an additional option for certain patients experiencing movement-related symptoms and whose condition is no longer responding to their oral medicines.

The easy-to-use infusion is delivered through a cannula under the skin and controlled by a small automatic pump worn 24 hours a day to help steadily manage patients’ symptoms with fewer side effects.

It works by releasing a combination of medications into the body, with the drug foslevodopa being turned into the chemical dopamine, which can better transmit messages between the parts of the brain and nerves that control movement.

The new treatment option is being rolled out on the NHS in England over the coming weeks (from 27 February) and it is expected that nearly 1,000 patients will be eligible across the country.

Many Parkinson’s patients currently take large numbers of tablets to control their symptoms – sometimes more than 20 a day – which can be difficult to maintain.

People taking medicine this way often report that the peak of their whole day is in the morning and despite taking more tablets they go ‘downhill’ throughout the day.

It can also be a challenge for patients taking these pills to balance symptom control with side-effects, with some patients including impulse control disorders and excessive movement.

Tablets can also lose their effects in the middle of the night, meaning patients can wake up with symptoms and may not be able to get out of bed to go the toilet without risking a fall.

However, by infusing this new drug formula throughout the day and overnight, symptoms can be more steadily managed – with patients also having the option to manually give themselves a boost in dose at any point during the day if needed.

James Palmer, NHS England’s Medical Director for Specialised Services and a Consultant Neurosurgeon, said: “This is great news for hundreds of patients who are living with an often difficult and debilitating condition.

“This important therapy will now offer a vital new option on the NHS for those who aren’t suitable for other treatments such as deep brain stimulation, and we hope it will help nearly a thousand patients to manage their symptoms more effectively and go about their day with a better quality of life.”

Parkinson’s is a condition in which parts of the brain become progressively damaged over many years and it affects around 128,000 people in England.

Foslevodopa-foscarbidopa will now offer an additional treatment option to patients living with advanced Parkinson’s disease who have developed severe motor fluctuations and who are no longer benefitting from other oral treatments but whose condition has been found to respond to the drug levodopa.

Since 2015, NHS England has offered a similar but more invasive treatment where the drugs needed to be delivered into the gut by a permanently placed feeding tube. The new device being rolled-out across the country is small and completely portable, with the infusions taking place under the skin. The easy to fit and remove drug vial normally needs to be changed once a day and the cannula is changed every three days, which can be done at home by patients or their carers.

John Whipps, 70, from Looe, Cornwall, was among those who took part in clinical trials which found that the treatment was safe and effective.

John said: “It’s absolutely wonderful that more people can get this drug now. Compared to the previous treatments it really is like chalk and cheese.

“Before this, I was on nearly 20 tablets a day just for my Parkinson’s symptom control, and then all the other tablets on top of that. And I would frequently wake in the middle of the night with internal tremors and take more tablets, but this pump just keeps running through the night.

“I couldn’t plan to do anything, as you don’t know if you’re going to have an off day and need to stay at home.

“So this pump has made life much more plan-able. It’s just one pump change a day you need to factor in, compared to the constant regime of tablets at different times a day.”

Health Minister Maria Caulfield, commented: “This is fantastic news for the hundreds of people in this country who live with advanced Parkinson’s. The symptoms of this disease can be incredibly debilitating, and this therapy will enable people to manage their condition more evenly throughout the day and reduce the side effects of medication.

“This rollout also reinforces the NHS’s collective ability to tackle the big medical challenges of our time and is evidence of the government’s commitment to using technology to deliver faster, simpler and fairer health outcomes for all.”

Laura Cockram, head of Campaigns at Parkinson’s UK, added: “Parkinson’s disease is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world, and it affects everyone differently. Foslevodopa-foscarbidopa (Produodopa) could be a life-changing option for those whose symptoms are not well controlled by oral medication.

“There are very few advanced treatments for the condition, so we are delighted another one is available. The infusion means people will be able to better manage their symptoms and could potentially have a big impact on families’ lives.

“It won’t be suitable for everybody though, and people with Parkinson’s should speak to their consultant or Parkinson’s nurse to see whether it’s an option for them.”