An internationally recognised authority on longevity and age-related disease, Dr. Valter Longo is Professor of Gerontology and Biological Science and Director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California. His research identified a genetic mutation that protects against cancer, diabetes, cognitive decline and cardiovascular damage, and led to the development of the fasting-mimicking diet, now investigated in more than thirty clinical trials. His book “The Longevity Diet” has been translated into 26 languages and published in 40 countries, and in 2018 he was named by TIME magazine among the 50 most influential people in healthcare. He also serves as President of the Create Cures Foundation, the Valter Longo Foundation and the European Longevity Institute, advancing nutrition- and lifestyle-based programmes for the prevention and treatment of non-communicable diseases.

Dr. Rebecca Robbins is Assistant Professor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Associate Scientist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where her research explores how the quantity and quality of our sleep shape our waking lives — from cognitive performance to physical and emotional well-being. She has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and 20 encyclopedia chapters, and is co-author of “Sleep for Success!”. A familiar voice in public conversations on sleep, she has appeared on programmes including the Today Show, Live! with Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest, and Good Morning America. She has also held teaching positions at Harvard College, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Weill Cornell Medical College in Doha, Qatar.

Dr. Brian Kennedy is Distinguished Professor in the Departments of Biochemistry and Physiology at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, where he chairs the Healthy Longevity Translational Research Programme and directs the Bia-Echo Asia Centre for Reproductive Longevity and Equality. He also serves as Director of the Centre for Healthy Longevity at the National University Health System. His work seeks to demonstrate that longevity interventions can extend healthspan — the disease-free, fully functional period of life — in humans. From 2010 to 2016 he was President and CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in the United States, one of the world’s foremost centres dedicated to the biology of ageing. He is closely engaged with several biotechnology companies, and served as Co-Editor-in-Chief of the journal Aging Cell from 2011 to 2021.

Nutritionist, Naturopath and Chiropractor, Dr Damian Kristof is a highly sought after presenter and speaker in the Wellness industry.
With over 20 years of experience, Damian’s in-depth knowledge of the body, nervous system food functions and responses coupled with his friendly and dynamic presenting style, has him in high demand.
Focusing on food as key to unlocking optimal health and wellness, Damian presents in-depth facts and concepts that have never before been readily available to the public – offering all audiences from industry experts to the general public highly valuable content as he engages, educates and inspires audiences across the globe.

Mikel Izquierdo is Vice-head and full Professor in the Department of Health Sciences at the Public University of Navarra, and Head of the Research Unit of Physical Exercise, Health and Quality of Life (E-FIT) at the NAVARRABIOMED Biomedical Research Centre. He also serves as Professor of Sport Biomechanics at the Centre of Studies of the Spanish Olympic Committee, and has worked with Olympic gold medallists as well as Liverpool FC and FC Barcelona. His research examines the effects of physical exercise across the lifespan and in chronic disease, with a particular focus on resistance training and neuromuscular biomechanics. He is principal investigator on several EU-funded projects on frailty and exercise — including VIVIFRAIL, MID-FRAIL and DIABFRAIL-LATAM — and currently collaborates with the World Health Organization on a global exercise programme for frailty and fall prevention. He has published over 572 peer-reviewed articles (h-index 123) and supervised more than 40 PhD students.

Zsolt Radák earned his PhD at the University of Tsukuba in Japan and holds the title of DSc from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. He currently serves as Vice-Rector and Professor at the Hungarian University of Sport Science, with concurrent professorships at Waseda University (Japan) and Ningbo University (China). A highly cited researcher (h-index 81), he has published more than 250 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and delivered over 150 invited lectures around the world. His current research explores epigenetic adaptation to exercise — particularly in older adults — and his group developed the novel epigenetic clock DNAmFitAge. He has held visiting professorships across Japan (Toho, Juntendo, Waseda), the United States, Taiwan and China, and has edited several books, including “Free Radicals in Exercise and Aging” and “Physiology of Physical Training” (Academic Press, 2018).

Prof. Katsuya Iijima is one of Japan’s foremost authorities in geriatric medicine and gerontology, with particular expertise in urban development for super-aged societies, integrated community-based care systems and frailty prevention. He serves as Director of the Institute of Gerontology and Professor at the Institute for Future Initiatives at The University of Tokyo, where he leads numerous national projects on the prevention of sarcopenia-related frailty. He has provided expert advice to the Government of Japan, serving on the Cabinet Office’s National Council for Promoting the Dynamic Engagement of All Citizens and contributing to expert discussions at the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare on the integrated implementation of health services and long-term care prevention. He played a central role in shaping the “Tokyo Declaration” at the Third Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentarian Forum on Global Health (Tokyo, August 2017), sharing Japan’s multisectoral strategies for a super-ageing society with the world.

Her specialization lies in social gerontology, with a focus on social relationships and urban sociology. She explores — from both physical and social perspectives — the creation of spaces that foster “loose” human connections: relationships that go beyond acquaintanceship but stop short of close friendship. In recent years, her research has examined the potential of various communication methods, from New Year’s greeting cards to the internet, as means of maintaining rich social connections through the later stages of life.

Mark Mattson is the former Chief of the Laboratory of Neurosciences at the US National Institute on Aging and currently Adjunct Professor of Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His research has transformed our understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms that shape the formation and plasticity of neuronal networks, and how these are affected by ageing and neurodegenerative disease. He has illuminated how the brain responds adaptively to challenges such as fasting and exercise, and has translated those insights into novel approaches for sustaining optimal brain function across the lifespan. Among the most highly cited neuroscientists in the world, he is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a recipient of the Metropolitan Life Foundation Medical Research Award and the Alzheimer’s Association Zenith Award. He is the author of “The Intermittent Fasting Revolution” and “Sculptor and Destroyer”, and hosts the Brain Ponderings podcast.

Born in Osaka in 1948 and holding a PhD in Agriculture from the University of Tokyo, Dr. Yoshimi Benno is one of Japan’s leading authorities on the classification and ecology of intestinal bacteria. After completing his graduate studies at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, he joined RIKEN’s Laboratory of Animal Pharmacology in 1974, later serving as Team Leader at the National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences (1992–2000) and Director of the Microbe Division at the RIKEN BioResource Research Centre (2003). Following his retirement in 2009, he led the Benno Special Research Laboratory at RIKEN and held a Specially Appointed Professorship at Rakuno Gakuen University. Since 2021 he has served as President of the Benno Institute of Intestinal Flora, Honorary Research Scientist at RIKEN, and Visiting Professor at Jumonji University. In 2009 he received the Commendation by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Public Understanding Promotion Category), and he is the author of several bestselling books on gut health and longevity.

Talu Sehra-Eckhoff is a wellbeing and happiness coach whose multicultural life — born in London with Indian roots, and over two decades across Switzerland, Germany, Indonesia, the US, China, and now Japan — informs a unique perspective on connection and fulfilment. Drawing on positive psychology, mindfulness, and research including the Harvard Study of Adult Development, the World Happiness Report, and Blue Zones, she helps people strengthen emotional wellbeing, build meaningful relationships, and cultivate everyday habits for a happier, healthier life.