This article was originally published in M2Woman, Winter Issue 2021 and also here.
Founder of SRW Laboratories, Greg Macpherson has been featured in the Longevity Issue "Never Grow Old" of the Nutrition Business Journal (NBJ). NBJ is the go-to source for reporting, product trends and in-depth data and analysis in the nutrition industry.
“The evolution of what consumers understand to be healthy aging has moved from simple diet and exercise to interventions based on our understanding that there are longevity ‘circuits’ or pathways that can be activated at a cellular level with simple changes to our lifestyle,” says Greg Macpherson, founder at SRW Laboratories.
“This change in awareness, that we can modify our aging trajectory, coincided with the advent of aging clocks that enabled measurement of biological age—the age that our cells are acting—and gave researchers a way to validate the various interventions that have a meaningful impact on the aging process.”
The Evolution of Aging
Ask the market leaders, and this ability to test and measure is a bigger and bigger piece of the supplement equation going forward... At the same time, experts are beginning to connect the dots between the health conditions that come with age and using a slowing or reversal in aging as a doorway into dealing with these conditions.
“It’s an exciting shift in thinking that is leading towards prevention as a primary strategy for healthy aging,” says Macpherson.
What’s in a Name?
Whether or not “longevity” is a better label than “healthy aging,” one important takeaway is that longevity opens its arms a bit wider to younger demographics who aren’t ready to accept their loss of youth. Research from NBJ proves this point, as longevity as a term works best through ancillary categories that already target prevention and optimization through known consumer needs. Think beauty-from-within or brain health. Think eye health focused on blue-light strain... It isn’t enough to simply live longer.
Market Players
NBJ research into longevity as an emerging market for supplementation reveals a range of market movers... with products targeting aging in novel ways, to tech platforms... that focus their content and personalization engines on longevity. SRW, in particular, positions aging central to its core, with Macpherson writing a book about the nine hallmarks of aging, including scientific research that includes mitochondrial dysfunction, telomere attrition, and cellular senescence, among others.
Ingredients to watch
According to NBJ data, CoQ10 remains the big winner for a strictly defined “healthy aging” category with 24% of sales in 2021, followed by meaningful results for DHEA, vitamins A and D, resveratrol, and combination herbs. For the emerging class of ingredients shaping this market in the years to come, here’s the expert opinion. Ingredients targeting NAD+ and NAD+ pathways... The opportunity for many of these phytonutrients is to improve bioavailability and/or delivery to drive efficacy and compliance.
“I’m very interested in fisetin, withaferin A, and berberine,” says Macpherson. “These are molecules that researchers are spending a significant amount of attention on and appear to have an ability to support longevity.” Fisetin is a natural senolytic, he says, referring to compounds that support the removal of senescent cells—also known as ‘zombie cells’—that accumulate with age and are a key contributor of inflammation. Withaferin A is an isolate of ashwagandha and berberine that acts to inhibit the primary aging pathway mTOR, says Macpherson, “and berberine activates AMPK and interacts with mTOR... Hobamine, also known as 2-HOBA, as one to watch. (Both SRW and Big Bold Health feature Hobamine in foundational products.) “I truly believe Hobamine should be looked at as a new daily essential,” he says. “We are very excited to see it reach its full potential, as I believe it will help so many people to maximize longevity as well as the quality-of-life aspect. I do think that aging is a key position for us.”
Of Technology and Personalization
As longevity makes its play as the driving force behind an aging market that moves through boomers into younger demographics, many of the themes explored in this article gain momentum. Personalization, data sets driving smarter clocks and research are the levers that leading brands in the space are beginning to pull. Of particular note, NBJ reports that personalization sales reached $519 million in 2021 on a whopping +35.8% annual growth, and estimates carry that to more than $1 billion in 2024.
The clocks concept cannot be overlooked. The future of longevity depends on them, doctors are using and promoting them, and the pace of research is rapid. “The role of DNA epigenetic testing to measure biological age is going to expand substantially over the next few years,” says Macpherson. “The third-generation clocks are linking our biological age to downstream risks of developing health conditions which, up until now, has been the missing piece of the puzzle. Just like practitioners use HbA1c as a leading indicator on how well we are managing our blood sugar, they will increasingly use DNA epigenetic testing as a leading indicator on how well we are aging.”
Republished from Nutrition Business Journal - "Never Grow Old" Longevity Issue. Read the full article here
]]>Many of us have gazed at a baby and marvelled at the perfection of new life – but 40 years on, that baby will be showing signs that age catches up with all of us.
While research shows most of us are living longer than our grandparents, that doesn't necessarily mean good health is maintained as we age.
According to SRW Laboratories (Science Research Wellness) founder Greg Macpherson: "Once we have better understanding, we can help our bodies support good health through diet and supplements if necessary and doing the right types of exercise."
Macpherson says the importance of the circulatory system and its role in health should not be underestimated: "Think of the circulatory system as the body's roading network. It's pumping life-giving oxygen, nutrients, chemicals, enzymes, and hormones while also eliminating waste and foreign invaders.
"While we are young, our circulation systems generally run smoothly – like modern highways with smooth tarmac and sophisticated monitoring systems – ensuring nutrients get to their destination fast and efficiently. This means functioning occurs and the bad stuff is taken out of the system by the 'police' – our white blood cells."
However, wear and tear is inevitable. If the highway is not maintained, the tar seal eventually wears out and potholes appear, causing damage. That means vital supply of goods are late or don't get to their destination at all, says Macpherson.
"The heart and blood vessels together maintain a delicate equilibrium in your body and circulatory system and this is intrinsically connected to the immune system," Macpherson says. "White blood cells are delivered to areas of the body where they help to combat foreign bodies such as bacteria, viruses and parasites; they also play a critical role in removing dead cells and debris from your body."
Because the circulation is so crucial to how our bodies function, it's vital to give it the TLC it deserves, he says.
"Recent discoveries relating to ageing suggest we can support the circulatory system as we age.
Blood vessels – arteries, veins and capillaries – rarely receive the attention they deserve when you consider the importance of delivering the things that help keep us well and balanced," he says.
Projecting from the lining of our blood vessels is a layer of hair-like projections called the glycocalyx, which controls permeability in our blood vessels and is involved in supporting healthy blood pressure.
The integrity of the glycocalyx diminishes as we age and, Macpherson says, "supporting the endothelial glycocalyx is a promising target in helping support blood vessel health".
SRW has developed a supplement called Cir1 Flow to support the health of blood vessels as we age. The formulation provides a unique and synergistic combination of rhamnan sulphate, curcuminoids and a selection of other ingredients to support the glycocalyx and our overall blood vessel health.
Dr. Masahiro Terasawa - SRW Advisory Board Member
This approach is backed by Dr Masahiro Terasawa (PhD and MSc, Osaka University Department of Biological Science) who has spent 25 years specialising in molecular biology and published four papers on the ability of rhamnan sulphate to support blood vessel health.
"Vascular health is intrinsically connected with health and lifespan. Rhamnan sulphate supports vascular health," says Dr Terasawa.
Cir1 Flow also contains Vitamin K2 (K2-MK-7), which has superior bioavailability compared to other forms of K2. It is prevalent in fermented foods which are rare in the Western diet. In the circulatory system K2-MK-7 supports vessel flexibility, cardiac output and normal calcification.
Read the original article on NZ Herald here
]]>We had the opportunity to educate and showcase our full SRW range, consisting of products across different body systems that are designed to empower you to age better and reach your absolute potential.
We were thrilled to see the large amount of interest with our range, which sparked many conversations that encouraged self-reflection on your health and wellbeing. There’s much more to come, so we invite everyone to be part of SRW’s journey to excellence.
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Eggs have had a bum rap over the years. The myth they are bad for health not only began decades ago, it persisted for many years.
Modern research has undone the mistaken impression that eggs were linked with bad cholesterol and heart disease. Now a new supplement is taking eggs where they have never gone before – extracting a glycoprotein found in egg yolks, a substance scientists say helps support the immune system of new-born chicks.
Called Imm¹ Defence, this cellular nutrition supplement is designed to support the human immune system. Founder of SRW (Science Research Wellness), pharmacist, cellular health expert and biotechnologist Greg Macpherson stops well short of making claims about what Imm1 can do – but says the supplement uses a patented process to extract the glycoprotein, resulting in a patented ingredient called Muno-IgY.
"Eggs are an amazing food," he says, "providing just about all the nutrition you need. However, to gain the benefits of glycoproteins, you'd have to eat 2-3 raw egg yolks a day – and not everyone likes that idea. You also expose yourself to the bugs that can occasionally come with eggs that aren't cooked.
"Unfortunately, the acid in our stomachs and the heat from cooking removes the beneficial properties of glycoproteins, so we knew we needed to isolate and purify it to get it into capsules that withstand these environments. Working with our partner company, we believe we are the first in the world to do so."
Scientific research/studies, of which there are many, have documented how the ingredients within of Imm1 Defence* support the immune system in a dual action – in the gut, where it supports the first line of defence, and then by supporting the normal function of immune cells, Macpherson says.
Now, with borders open and travellers once again moving between countries, it is a good idea to support our immune defences so they can recover well when under duress. Macpherson says: "A good immune system depends on a lot of things like good lifestyle choices, exercise and stress management, as well as using new biotechnology."
As people grow and are exposed to different pathogens, their immune system develops, he says. Most people peak in their 20s when it comes to their immune response. From then on, most people find immune functions gradually decline, falling below the levels inherited at birth in their 40s.
The effectiveness and the speed of immune response changes as people age and can be affected when the immune system is subjected to pressure like exhaustion or stress. The immune system also affects recovery from injuries, which also changes with age.
Egg-based glycoproteins have been around at least since 1969, says Macpherson, although not recognised then for the properties known now. Ironically, that's about the same time eggs were getting their first bad rap, later corrected.
Distinguished US physician-epidemiologist and SRW advisory board member, Dr Paul Kilgore, says in a statement: "The overarching vision of my research is to support the immune system of infants, children and adults. My recent work involves the evidence-based evaluation of natural glycoprotein isolate to support the overall immune system health and response."
Kilgore, attached to Wayne State University Medical School and the University of Michigan School of Public Health, has over 27 years of experience in public health research and is heavily involved in the development of human studies for natural glycoprotein isolate applications to support overall immune health.
Macpherson says SRW specialises in formulating targeted cellular health supplementation – exporting to markets around the world, and he says the company will continue focusing on developing their range and expanding globally.
He also founded one of NZ's first online pharmacies, MPS (NZ's first registered robotic dispensing laboratory) and was previously the CEO of a successful a biotech company which commercialised an antioxidant developed at Otago University.
In 2020 he authored Harnessing the Nine Hallmarks of Aging, a book that simplifies the latest science behind why we age, making the knowledge that has come from these breakthroughs accessible.
Read the original article from NZ Herald here
]]>Master of International Business student Skyler Zhou and Master of Marketing student Siti Maryam Mohd Shukri both completed a ten-week project with nutraceutical company SRW Laboratories as part of their studies. The transformative experience gave them a unique chance to apply academic concepts in a real-world context.
]]>Image credit: University of Auckland.
For two Business masters students, getting the chance to work with a New Zealand company on a consultancy project was the perfect opportunity to bring their classroom learning to life.
Master of International Business student Skyler Zhou and Master of Marketing student Siti Maryam Mohd Shukri both completed a ten-week project with nutraceutical company SRW Laboratories as part of their studies. The transformative experience gave them a unique chance to apply academic concepts in a real-world context and see first-hand how marketing drives a successful business.
“We took full control of the case,” Skyler says. “My favourite part was working onsite at SRW’s office - the team was incredible and very kind to me.”
SRW General Manager Crystal Zhang, a Business School alumna herself, led the student sponsorship from SRW’s side and provided a valuable example of leadership for the students. Skyler appreciated learning management skills from Crystal, who led the SRW team with “a very inclusive and encouraging culture”.
While Skyler was on-site with SRW in Auckland, Maryam was based in Malaysia and completed her project remotely. She enjoyed learning about the nutraceutical industry, and the marketing and branding insights she picked up working with SRW’s Global Marketing Manager Fiona Nagy.
“I really enjoyed my supervision meetings because it was an opportunity to see what the industry was like. Fiona helped guide me in the project, she was clear with her expectations and quite transparent with the company - whatever I needed for the project, she was always able to help me.”
"Partnering with the University to host masters students increased our bandwidth to get into projects straight away."
This is the first time SRW has hosted students from the University, but for Crystal, mentoring and supporting the next generation of learners has long been an important part of her professional career. In addition to hosting Skyler and Maryam for their consultancy projects, Crystal has been a mentor for the past three years with He Ira Wāhine, the women’s mentoring programme at the Business School.
“I know how beneficial it is having someone to talk to when you have self-doubts, when you’re a little lost and weighing up different opportunities. Your mentor may not have the solution for you, but they are your sounding board. They could provide a totally different perspective that you never thought about – they can open up your eyes,” she says.
“I hoped I could be that someone for a student to lean towards, and as I’m getting to a more mature age, I’m reflecting on my purpose and my value too. And supporting people to realise their full potential and giving back is important to me.”
On top of the personal rewards of seeing Maryam and Skyler complete their project work and become part of the SRW team, Crystal says the company has also seen significant business benefits.
“We’re a true start-up business, which means we’re always tight on resource and there’s always a million things on the to-do list. Partnering with the University to host masters students increased our bandwidth to get into projects straight away,” she says.
Image credit: University of Auckland.
In addition to having the extra resource, Crystal says SRW also benefited in other ways. Thanks to their classes, Skyler and Maryam were equipped with the latest theories and had access to relevant industry data. The students were also under the expert guidance of knowledgeable supervisors including Jo Wright and Sandra Smith.
“The consultancy projects give the students several really important opportunities,” says Jo.
“It reinforces their developing knowledge by giving them hands-on experience in applying it, and gives them the chance to gain some insight and experience in an industry they hope to establish a career in.
“They also have the opportunity to establish important network connections to support their career development … and the opportunity to use the projects as evidence of their experience in the New Zealand work context.”
For Skyler, the Business masters programme helped her expand on her professional experience and put newfound theories into action.
“Before enrolling, I had already worked in the import and export industry for ten years. The programme taught me insights into theories and strategies, then, the project gave me an opportunity to utilise these theories and strategies.”
Alongside the skills she gained from her studies, Maryam counts the “amazing students” in her cohort as one of the highlights of the programme.
“I have learned so much,” she says.
“Even though we’re all from different parts of the world, they really helped me – it felt nice to feel I wasn’t alone. The faculty made a great effort in creating a really nice learning experience … everyday, I was able to learn something from my classmates and lecturers.”
Republished with permission from the University of Auckland Business School, Business masters students gain real-world insights through consultancy project, 14 September 2022.
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Kiwi Cellular Health expert Greg Macpherson is in the business of helping people age well. A biotechnologist, pharmacist, ‘futurist’, and the author of “Harnessing the Nine Hallmarks of Aging”, Macpherson is the founder of a company formed for the specific purpose to challenge the way people think about and experience ageing. “The idea,” he says, “is to die old as young as possible.”
Understanding how and why we age is the key, he says. What is still largely unknown is that there can be significant difference between your chronological age – the number of birthdays you have had – and your cellular age, a newly developed measure that identifies the age your cells are acting. When your cells are acting older than your chronological age then you have a higher chance of encountering some health conditions.
When he first read a paper about the hallmarks of ageing published a decade ago, “I saw nine targets we can look at to support health and wellbeing as we age.” says Macpherson. “And it’s completely possible, it’s pretty exciting.” What followed was years of research into the highly complex subject of cellular functions and the effect of age on them. Although the evidence was compelling, he saw that no one was yet creating products that specifically target the nine hallmarks. That realisation was the genesis of the company SRW Laboratories (Science Research Wellness) he founded two and a half years ago.
The innovative products SRW has since formulated in collaboration with leading global experts, which are now undergoing human studies, are manufactured in New Zealand, and distributed to 12 overseas markets including the United States and China.
“As a society, we’re ageing well compared to previous generations. And now that we’re starting to understand what’s going on at a cellular level, we can be much more proactive around how we are ageing,”
he says. “SRW aims to challenge people to think about how they’re ageing and then to consciously age well, because it’s something we all can easily do.” SRW Laboratories’ nutrient line, the Cellular System Range, supports the maintenance of normal physiological functions with a focus on cell physiology and function.
The range includes three supplements: Cel¹ Stability, Cel² Nourishment and Cel³ Renewal, which are formulated to support the maintenance of normal cell functions and overall health and wellbeing at the specific time in your life that you need. Central to the Cellular System Range is DNAᵃᵍᵉ, a saliva-based at-home DNA test which determines your cellular age and lets you know if you are ageing well compared to others, or if your cells need further support. DNAᵃᵍᵉ is not intended to be provide health information or medical data or to be used to screen, diagnose, treat, prevent or assess risk of any disease or condition.
Aside from the obvious personal advantages, Macpherson points to international studies that demonstrate the economic benefits of wellness. “Statistics show that if we improved the average person’s health span by just one year, the net benefit would be $37 trillion, globally. The value of keeping people well for just one year longer is massive,” he says. “That’s why there’s such a huge amount of energy going into the space right now. Thought leaders are realising that the health conditions associated with older age are merely a syndrome of ageing.”
Simply put, everyone can take action to live a healthy life. “And fundamentally, that’s what it’s about. More time to do the things you love and spend time with the people you love.”
One of the small joys we wake up to in the digital world we live in is a fully charged phone to start our day. It has become almost second nature that we ensure our phones are plugged into the charger before going to bed every night. But can we say the same about the systems that power our bodies? Unlike mobile devices that use batteries, the human body gets it energy using energy factories called mitochondria in our cells. These energy factories use a molecule called NAD+ (Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) to act as fuel for important daily processes such as converting food to energy, maintaining DNA and immune function.
NAD+ is used in many cellular processes, is present in every living organism, and the science has shown a that NAD+ levels decline with age. Naturally, one might assume that by consuming NAD+ we can elevate NAD+ levels, however, NAD+ on its own cannot be directly absorbed by the cells.
NMN (Nicotinamide Mononucleotide) is a direct precursor of NAD+ and is well-researched with over 1300+ supporting scientific articles on PubMed. The ingredient is increasingly being used in anti-aging supplements overseas to supply a surge in demand in recent years, and leading to a global market size of over NZD$360 million in 2021.
NMN has been popular in the biohacking community overseas for some time including the well-known Professor of Genetics at Harvard University, David Sinclair. Many people choose to supplement NMN because while it occurs in nature, foods only contain very small quantities of NMN, making it difficult to get an efficacious amount from diet alone. The quality and purity of NMN on the market varies drastically, and there is a lack of transparency about these important factors when it comes to NMN supplements internationally.
New Zealand health company ‘SRW Laboratories’ have introduced a stabilised form of high purity NMN to their impressive line-up of cellular nutrition supplements.
“At SRW, we never compromise on the quality of our ingredients. Our product contains a high dose of 500mg per serve at an optimal purity of over 99.5%. NMN enters directly into the cell through a recently discovered transporter called slc12a8, where it is converted in one step to NAD+.” says Greg Macpherson, Founder of SRW Laboratories.
NMN is backed by SRW’s Science Advisory Board and has been developed in partnership with Dr. Jianjun Yu (PhD, East China University of Science and Technology), who has spent the last decade researching NMN and other molecules for heathy aging. Dr. Yu has an extensive career in developing compounds for human wellbeing and was awarded the science and technology progress award of the ministry of education in China, 2019. He was also the lead scientist developing a patented NMN preparation technique which improves NMN’s stability and has obtained 9 other patents over his career.
“NAD+ is an energy-providing molecule found in every cell of the body. It is used to metabolize, build new cells, defend against free radicals, modulate our microbiome and send signals inside the cell. Regular supplementation with NMN supports healthy levels of NAD+” – Dr. Jianjun Yu.
NMN is ideal for individuals looking for support energy, as an alternative to caffeinated drinks. And more importantly, NMN supports healthy aging processes at a cellular level metabolic, heart and brain health.
NMN is available to purchase at www.srw.co and at select pharmacies and health centres for NZD $89.
]]>Free radicals are often blamed for causing many of the health conditions associated with the aging process. The truth is a little more complicated, and scientists now know that we need free radicals for optimal health.
You’ve probably already read that free radicals are unstable molecules that react with other molecules to become stable, and that this process can cause damage to cells and their components. This knowledge has seen a surge in popularity of anti-oxidant berries, other foods and supplements in recent years.
It’s common knowledge that factors such as exposure to toxins and chemicals, smoking, UV radiation and diets high in sugar, fats and alcohol can contribute to free radical and potentially lead to a phenomenon called ‘oxidative stress’.
This is where we throw a spanner in the works - free radicals are actually required for normal cellular function. Cells use free radicals to communicate, and immune cells harness free radicals as a first line of defence against foreign bodies. For these reasons, a certain level (or Goldilock’s Zone) of free radicals is necessary for your body to perform at its best.
To fully mitigate the effects of oxidative stress we would need to take massive doses of antioxidants which would interfere with healthy free radical signalling mechanisms that are important to our health. The issue we face today is the risk of eliminating these beneficial free radicals, which can compromise normal function and immune system capacity. A new and alternative approach is to supplement with a new ingredient called 2-HOBA, which supports healthy levels of free radical signalling. 2-HOBA is unique in that it supports the cells defences against the molecules that are produced because of oxidative stress and free radical damage. All without affecting healthy levels of free radicals, that the cells require to function normally.
2-HOBA (Hobamine™) is a natural molecule discovered in Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat. Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat has been used traditionally for many generations, and it has only recently been discovered for use in dietary supplements. Hobamine™ is a patented form of the nature-based ingredient 2-HOBA. Discovered at Vanderbilt University in the USA, this newly available compound is a game changer in supporting healthy cells and aging. 2-HOBA supports healthy aging, skin condition, and supports the cells’ natural defences against oxidative stress.
New Zealand company SRW Laboratories has partnered with the world expert, involved with researching this ingredient, to formulate the latest addition to their range of science-based supplements. SRW® 2-HOBA is backed by SRW’s Science Advisory Board and has been developed in partnership with Dr. Naji Abumrad (Doctor of Medicine).
Dr. Abumrad has 40 years of experience as a research scientist and collaborated with the founders of Hobamine™ to research the potential benefits of this ingredient in relation to aging, resulting in several issued patents.
“It is generally accepted that aging is associated with an increase in oxidative stress. We have demonstrated the ability of 2-HOBA to support healthy lifespan in animals.”
SRW is the second company in the world to secure the revolutionary molecule for use in supplements, and provides the only source of pure 2-HOBA globally. Learn more about 2-HOBA (Hobamine™) here.
]]>I turned 53 a couple of weeks ago. I have never understood people who don't like to declare their age. I have earned every single one of those 53 years and my wrinkles and sags and bumps and scars all tell a story of my life to date. Can't say I love ageing and the body aching a bit more but, as they say, the alternative to ageing is worse.
A few years ago I decided I had to do something about my aches and pains. Most of them were in my knees, as I have arthritis. Most of the pain was caused by the fact that I was very overweight and I was putting a lot of pressure on my joints. So I made the huge decision to have weight loss surgery. I had a full gastric bypass. That is where they effectively bypass your stomach and, over time, you build a new smaller stomach. It is quite major surgery and pretty much re-plumbed my insides. Not something to undertake lightly but once I decided to have surgery I went for the most extreme – go big or go home (by the way, all of these puns are intended).
Then there was the decision whether I would share something so private. I get a lot of comments from people about the clothes I wear and the fact I like bright colours, etc. I knew people would notice my weight loss and I felt by not telling people how I lost the weight I would effectively be lying.
My body, my decision - and one I have never regretted. It was four and a half years ago. I lost nearly 50kg within 12 months. In the last couple of years I have put about 3kg on – I think about losing them but they don't really want to get lost.
It was the best decision I have made. I feel fitter, I like clothes more, I jump at the opportunity to try something new and I don't huff and puff and perspire so much. I just feel better.
I joined nutraceutical company SRW Laboratories about eight months ago and now the pain has gone. I have learnt through them that I have two ages. My chronological age and my DNA age - and the DNA one can be improved and help me age more healthily. There's stuff I still want to do and I need my body to keep up with me.
I did the test and my DNAage is 55 years – two ahead of my chronological. I was surprised it was only two years due to the stress, overwork, lack of sleep, consumption of wine, lack of exercise and poor diet I have put my body through over many years. It has been a wake-up call. I now take natural supplements, try to exercise and sleep more and definitely have reduced my stress. I have worked out that I need to look after my insides if I want my outside to look healthy.
Fifty-three feels good and I look forward to my health journey but still plan to go screaming to my grave with a chardonnay in my hand – just hopefully not for a while yet.
Read the full NZ Herald article here
]]>With ageing (how we’re doing it, and what we could be doing better) under a microscope, it encourages customers to go on a journey, and take a personal, tailored approach to the dietary supplements — considering cellular health and their DNA.
Founded by pharmacist and author Greg Macpherson, SRW’s goal is to support “healthspan” — something that is front of mind for many people, who are aware that the stresses of life can take a toll on health, appearance and how you feel about yourself.
“As a pharmacist, I get to see the impact of ageing on people daily,” Greg told Rahul Bhattarai, from NZ Herald. “I felt it was time to translate the new science into products that take the latest understanding of ageing so that we can all age well.”
This personal experience helped inspire SRW, and with 30 years as a pharmacist and seven years as CEO of a biotech company under his belt, Greg is well-positioned to take on the booming wellness market.
Part of SRW's unique offering is DNAᵃᵍᵉ, a biological age test that can act as a guide to how you're ageing. DNAᵃᵍᵉ uses epigenetics (science that studies how behaviour and environment impact our genes) to reveal your biological age. Sounds complicated? It all happens in the comfort of your own home. SRW sends you an at-home saliva test, which you then send back and wait for your results.
To help customers understand the biological ageing process, SRW refers to the Nine Hallmarks of Ageing — also the name of Greg’s book on the subject — a list that includes genomic instability, telomere attrition, epigenetic alterations, mitochondrial dysfunction, loss of proteostasis, deregulated nutrient sensing, cellular senescence, stem cell exhaustion and altered intercellular communication.
Global research on these areas is at a very early stage, with scientists continuing to seek answers.
DNAᵃᵍᵉ goes hand in hand with SRW’s Cellular System Range of dietary supplements — products that harness the latest science and research and aim to support health on a cellular level — specifically cells’ stability, nourishment, and rejuvenation.
Greg told NZ Herald that, though it “may seem a little strange” to be focusing on healthy ageing, SRW’s products help support your cells to be “as healthy as possible right now”, with the added goal of supporting your health over the long term.
Developed by award-winning scientists around the world, the SRW product range spans several categories, including the nervous system, skeletal system, circulation, and cellular system – the latter of which includes three key products: Cel¹ Stability, Cel²Nourishment, Cel³ Renewal, each with a distinctive focus, that aim to support your overall cellular system as you age.
Formulated with environmental and lifestyle-related factors like pollution, smoking, poor sleep, lack of exercise or an unhealthy diet in mind, Cel¹ Stability* ingredients include Hobamine — a compound found in Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat thought to help combat free radical damage — selenium, B12, Zinc and Vitamin C, as well as extracts from the flowers of the Sophorae japonica tree (Rutin), turmeric, and roots of Astragalus propinquus (a flowering plant native to Mongolia). SRW believes this formulation supports the structure and function of DNA and genes.
As its name suggests, this was created to support energy levels for those experiencing mental and physical tiredness, and claims to support cellular repair and support energy. To do so, Cel² Nourishment* includes nicotinamide mononucleotide — a derivative of niacin, which is a form of vitamin B3 — Vitamin D and B2, alongside a proprietary blend that includes pterostilbene (also found in almonds and blueberries) and amino acid compound L-carnosine. SRW recommends this supplement for active people, or those who enjoy vitality and feeling up to par.
Formulated to support cellular rejuvenation for people, SRW suggests including this in your ageing strategy. Cel³Renewal* contains ingredients like natural flavonoid apigenin (you may recognise this if you’re a fan of chamomile), and a proprietary blend that includes extracts from the leaves of tea tree leaves (Oleuropein) and European smoke tree, cortex phellodendri bark, and ashwagandha.
Read the original online article here
]]>The concept of aging has fascinated humans for centuries. Until recently the process has been thought of as inevitable, and irreversible. In recent times advancements in cosmetics and surgery have allowed people to reverse some of the symptoms of aging. But what about the causes of aging?
The technology sector is experiencing exponential growth, as seen in self-driving cars, the application of mRNA vaccines in the medical industry, and the development of the commercial space industry. Excitingly, advances in aging research are also following a similar trajectory.
“It may be the first time in human history we finally have enough understanding of our cellular biology and the right tools to age well,” says Greg Macpherson.
Greg is a biotechnologist, pharmacist and cellular health expert from New Zealand who has been invited to speak as a subject matter expert globally on numerous occasions.
The research now isn’t just about longevity, no one wants to live for longer if you can’t enjoy it. Our life expectancy has been increasing in part due to the modern diet, lifestyle changes and advances in science. However, this isn’t paired with a proportionate increase in healthspan, which is the portion of our lives for which we are healthy.
"Increasing healthspan will drive a transformational shift in how humanity ages and will deliver increasing socioeconomic benefits of having healthier older adults, as well as potentially buffering some of the negative effects of the reduced fertility rates being observed in the developed world.”
The aging process is an increasingly popular research topic and there is mounting evidence that along with a healthy lifestyle, supplementation with nutraceuticals can support youthful cellular function and therefore overall health. SRW Laboratories curates this research to formulate nutraceuticals to support your long-term health and healthy aging.
Nearly a decade ago, scientists reached a consensus on nine key areas of the cells that decline in function as we age, known as the Nine Hallmarks of Aging. They all share one thing in common: If we worsen the hallmarks, we age faster. If we better them, we slow the aging process.
In pioneering work, Greg and a team of expert scientists developed a world-first, range of cellular health supplements. ‘The Cellular System range’, a series of nutraceuticals which support the cells to behave in a youthful manner, specifically targeting nine areas of cellular decline. These nine areas are known as ‘The Nine Hallmarks of Aging’, and have been scientifically shown to play a major role in to how quickly, and how well we age.
In 2020 Greg authored “Harnessing the Hallmarks of Aging”, a healthy-aging guidebook which he wrote after compiling and simplifying the findings of scientists from around the globe. The book contains healthy aging strategies for different life stages that are useful for everyone aged 20 and beyond’. Greg is the founder of SRW Laboratories (www.srw.co), a business with a mission to empower people to age better so they can reach their absolute potential in life.
Read the online article on TIME Magazine
]]>Founder of SRW Laboratories, Greg Macpherson joins hosts Ryan Bridge, Amanda Gillies and Mark Richardson on The AM Show, introducing DNAᵃᵍᵉ, New Zealand's first at-home salvia based DNA age test.
Not to be confused with other DNA tests that examine your ancestry origins, DNAᵃᵍᵉ utilises the latest developments in epigenetics and cutting-edge technology, to reveal your 'biological age'.
"What if you were told that you had two ages. Your chronological age, the age you know to be. And then there's your true biological age. Factors such as stress, diet, sun exposure and sleep can affect the rate at which we truly age."
On the segment, Greg explains the science behind the product and how it measures DNA methylation to derive your biological age. He further goes into recommendations we can adopt in our daily lives to help reverse our biological age, including lifestyle changes such as fasting, diet, exercise and supplementation.
The hosts proceed with revealing their biological age, starting with Amanda Gillies and Ryan Bridge both resulting in a biological age slightly older than their chronological age. Amanda opens up about her past health concerns and is quite satisfied with her result. Ryan admits that although he does take care of himself, he admittedly is not too surprised being slightly older than he is. Mark Richardson, reveals a 6 year gap between his chronological age and biological age, outlining that his experience with exposure to the sun and stress to be the likely culprits.
The segment concludes with interpretations of the results and further recommendations to incorporate in your daily habits to support healthy aging, reiterating that the test is an indicative tool of your cellular health.
Watch the full segment below:
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SRW Laboratories have been announced as one of the co-developers in the 'Seaweed Sun Defence' research project from Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge.
“SRW Laboratories is excited to be collaborating with Wakatū Incorporation and Cawthron on this project. The project will deliver new science and offer more options for consumers looking for advanced skin care protection from UV exposure. It will also open up future export opportunities," says Greg Macpherson, Founder of SRW Laboratories.
The Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge was established in 2014, with the objective of: enhancing utilisation of our marine resources within environmental and biological constraints.
It is one of 11 Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment-funded Challenges aimed at taking a more strategic approach to science investment.
Aotearoa New Zealand has one of the highest skin cancer rates in the world. Studies have shown that sunscreen is vital to help prevent skin cancer and aging from sunburn and ultraviolet (UV) damage.
Sunscreen, make-up, and lip care products contain ingredients that can filter UV rays. However, many suncare products can have damaging side-effects, and many are being banned due to their environmental impact on corals and other marine life. We need better products that don’t harm us or the environment.
The 'Seaweed Sun Defence' project looks to investigate the potential of algal bioactives to prevent and improve the outcomes of sunburn. Scientists are investigating if Aotearoa New Zealand’s seaweed and algae can be used in sun care products that are healthy for our skin and the environment.
The scientists are looking at how some seaweed and algae have compounds that can protect skin from UV damage.
“Many sun care products have damaging human health side-effects. Also, many are being banned due to their environmental impact on corals and other marine life. We need better products that don’t harm us or the environment. We think seaweed and algae could help solve this problem," says Mike Packer - project co-leader.
The first part of the research is a study of seaweed species on marine farms to identify endemic (only found in Aotearoa) species that may contain compounds for use in sun care products and can also be easily farmed. Some seaweed and algae species have bioactive compounds that can protect skin from UV damage. Next, developing ways to identify and measure suitable compounds will be looked at.
Excitingly, project members are drawing on both mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) and western science to identify which species are best to develop for sun defence. The partnership with Wakatū Incorporation and SRW Laboratories will aid to accomplish this.
By investing in innovation in the seaweed sector, Aotearoa has fresh opportunities to build back better from the impacts of COVID-19 on the economy. The seaweed sector can also provide employment for people transitioning out of traditional marine economy sectors, such as fishing.
For New Zealanders to be able to use marine resources in the long term, the marine environment needs to be healthy. Aotearoa’s fledgling seaweed sector could play a key role in transitioning to a ‘blue economy’, where marine activities and businesses contribute positively to social, cultural and ecological well-being, as well as generating economic value.
Read more about the Seaweed Sun Defence project here
]]>No one really wants to live forever. Well, apart from Jeff Bezos (and Doctor Who). The Amazon founder is said to be a signed-up member of the billionaires club out to cheat death, or at least stall it significantly. After all, when you're already sending rockets on joy rides into space, is there anything money can't buy?
Bezos, the second-richest man in the world, is reported to have invested heavily in start-up Altos Labs, which aims to disrupt biological ageing by programming the entire human body to rejuvenate at a cellular level — potentially increasing life expectancy by 50 years.
The aim of longevity research, however, isn't to cling on to life at all costs but extend the human "healthspan" by retaining physical and mental function far beyond our current use-by date. That comes with what's known in the anti-ageing industry as a paradigm shift. Instead of pouring resources into treating specific diseases, why not focus on the root cause – the ageing process itself.
"Hundreds of billions of dollars have been spent on trying to solve Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, cancer, cardiovascular disease… and we've made progress," says Auckland biotechnologist and pharmacist Greg Macpherson. "We understand those diseases better than we ever have. But imagine if you applied that much resource into helping people stay younger for longer and taking 'luck' out of the equation."
So just how serious is the science behind anti-ageing therapies, which are mostly still at an experimental stage? And is it ethical (or even remotely sensible) to spend billions of dollars on finding ways to significantly extend the human lifespan when our species is already consuming resources at an unsustainable rate and inducing cataclysmic climate change? As Cambridge University computer science professor Jon Crowcroft told CNBC, "It's a bit pointless living forever on a dying planet."
Put that to Macpherson and he doesn't skip a beat. With fertility rates dropping, particularly in the developed world, he thinks we're more likely to face a global crash than a crisis of overpopulation. He has faith, too, that decarbonisation and other technological breakthroughs will solve our most pressing environmental problems, while delaying the onset of age-related diseases would gain us decades of quality life.
Progress on extending longevity is already moving at such a rapid pace, he says, that even scientists are having to constantly update their worldview.
"What's unequivocal is that you CAN slow the ageing process. It's very clear now that that's possible, whereas some might have been hugely sceptical, even up to a couple of years ago. Who wants to live forever? That's definitely not the point. We only need to extend the health span by five years to have a massive and positive impact on humanity."
As for those billionaires bankrolling the quest for eternal youth, Macpherson is as realistic as anyone about their true motives. "These guys live in the future and they see an opportunity; it's the next trillion-dollar industry. So they're not just thinking about saving the planet. But they'll drag humanity along with them and we'll all live better for it. In the meantime, it's good headlines for sure."
Modern theories on what causes ageing largely fall into two overlapping camps: that it's a programmed process because living too long produces an evolutionary disadvantage, or that it's an accumulation of cellular damage. Either way, the stakes are much higher than the wounded vanity of wrinkles and grey hair. In developed countries, age is the main risk factor for cancer, neurodegeneration and cardiovascular disease.
Early this year, Macpherson released his book Harnessing the Nine Hallmarks of Aging, which distills the latest scientific research into why our bodies fail and what we can do to repair — and potentially reverse — the ravages of time. "People might think I'm completely nuts," he says. "There's no way we're going to live to 120, let alone 150, that's just bollocks. But once we didn't understand bugs and antibiotics, either."
The book draws on a 2013 paper by a group of leading European scientists outlining nine cellular and molecular markers that contribute to our decline, ranging from accumulated DNA damage to a degraded immune system. Unsurprisingly, some of it gets pretty complicated but their aim was to create a model that would help identify "pharmaceutical targets" to slow ageing and help people stay biologically young.
While it's still early days, a handful of life-extending therapies that have shown promise in animal models have progressed to clinical trials. In the US, 3000 people are taking part in the TAME (Targeting Ageing with Metformin) Trial to see whether a drug originally prescribed for pre-diabetes can delay the development or progression of heart disease, cancer and dementia.
Also headed to trial is rapamycin, which Macpherson describes as the only drug or molecule to date that has "absolutely, unequivocally" extended life in every organism it's been tested on, from mice to primates. "The final milestone is humans." Currently used to prevent organ rejection after kidney transplants, rapamycin changes the way our DNA is stored and triggers autophagy — a kind of quality-control process that removes harmful material and could potentially be harnessed for cell repair. In mice, it apparently did wonders for their skin and hair.
Researchers are exploring the gene-editing technology CRISPR for anti-ageing treatments and, in Texas, a new therapy is being trialled that adds genes to the human body without altering the existing genome.
Another relatively new area being investigated is senolytics, which targets cells that have deteriorated and are no longer able to divide. Normally, they're dispatched by the immune system but that falters as we age, leaving these troublesome zombie cells to stockpile in our tissues. A trial with older adults is being run in the US at the Mayo Clinic to evaluate the effects of Fisetin, an antioxidant with senolytic properties that's found in fruit and vegetables.
For baby boomers, that's good news. Anti-ageing therapies tend to focus less on repairing damage than preventing it in the first place. In Macpherson's book, recommended interventions start at the age of 20, although that includes the basics such as exercise, a moderate diet and learning how to manage stress. Fisetin is also being studied in Covid patients — typically in the older age bracket — to see if it helps prevent the virus from binding to their cells.
Back in April, legendary country singer Dolly Parton gave US$1 million for Covid research to Vanderbilt University in Nashville, helping fund what would become the Moderna vaccine. She made the donation in the name of Dr. Naji Abumrad, a professor of surgery she befriended when he was part of the team that took care of her after a minor car accident in 2013.
Abumrad met Greg Macpherson a few years ago through a mutual friend at Cambridge University. He's now among a team of international scientists on the advisory board of Macpherson's nutraceutical company, Science Research Wellness, which is focused on cellular health. Through that connection with Abumrad, a new supplement recently released in New Zealand and China contains a patented compound called 2-HOBA that's extracted from Himalayan Tartary buckwheat — only the second product in the world licensed to use it so far.
On a Zoom call from the US, Abumrad told Canvas his interest in healthy ageing began tangentially in the late 80s when he began investigating the cause of muscle wasting from protein-breakdown during illness, particularly following surgery. One of his first patients was an American football player who had both legs amputated after a car accident and lost 25kg in 10 days.
In collaboration with scientist Steve Nissen, Abumrad invented a nutraceutical HMB to support healthy muscle mass, which begins to diminish naturally from the age of 30. In the 90s, HMB was trialled to treat wasting in late-stage Aids and it's been used in medical nutrition since 2003 by athletes and patients being treated for the likes of cancer or kidney disease.
More recently, he's collaborated with the creators of 2-HOBA (marketed as Hobamine), which helps protect cells from oxidative stress. Abumrad says it's also effective as an anti-hypertensive and is soon to be trialled in early Alzheimer's disease.
At the age of 76, he's an avid cyclist and believes taking both HMB and 2-HOBA helped him recover from a bad crash last year that left him with fractured ribs and a collapsed lung. "Do I have a scientific basis for that? No. But today I cycled 26 miles and I'm not a young man anymore," he says. "I want to live a good quality of life. If not, I'd rather die quickly."
Inequity of access is one of the thorniest ethical problems of a future where it might not be out of the ordinary to celebrate your 150th birthday by knocking off a few expert Sudoku puzzles and going for a run around the block. Abumrad would like to see established nutraceutical companies create foundations to provide anti-ageing supplements to those who can't afford them, although the cost inevitably reduces over time. When he began producing HMB, it cost $1000 per kg. "Now, it's almost nothing."
For all the talk of being able to turn back the clock, how do you know if it's worked? On Macpherson's website, you can order a saliva DNA test that uses epigenetics to assess your biological age and theoretically see it change over time. He's met a 63-year-old doctor who's active, meditates regularly and eats a healthy diet; her biological age is 30. On the flip side, a woman in her early 40s took the test recently and was given a biological age of 67.
In principle, lifestyle changes and maybe popping a pill can help "clean" your DNA to improve performance, like polishing the scratches off a CD. I'm disappointed that Macpherson, who's 52, has only managed to knock a couple of years off his biological age — until I learn he has Crohn's, an inflammatory bowel disease.
A technology geek, he brought the first robotic dispensing machines into New Zealand and later established one of the first online pharmacies. When scientists at Otago University discovered an antioxidant molecule which is absorbed into the mitochondria and controls free radicals, Macpherson lead the formulation of it as an anti-ageing supplement that was launched commercially in 2015.
Now out on his own, most of his anti-ageing collaborations are with scientists overseas, although he's currently working with the Cawthron Institute in Nelson to investigate the potential of bioactives in seaweed and algae to prevent sunburn, supported by a grant from the Government's Sustainable Seas fund.
A father of three, he's genuinely excited by the possibilities of an extended healthspan that would reframe what it means to be old. His own father died at 51 — younger than Macpherson is now — after contracting hepatitis C through a contaminated blood transfusion. Today, that's a curable disease. His youngest son, Jack, has already worked out that age is a mindset more than a number. He's an active member of Make It 16, a campaign to lower the voting age.
"We're not talking about spending the last 50 years of your life consuming health resources, but saying you can be 100 and as fit and healthy as you and I are right now, spending time with your grandchildren and positively contributing to society," says Macpherson, whose book is dedicated to his wife and three children.
"Even one extra day on this planet with you will be a bonus," he wrote, "but let's aim for decades."
Read the full article on NZ Herald ]]>An epigenetic age test, DNAage uses DNA methylation to determine our true age. Recent research has shown that factors such as sleep, pollution, alcohol consumption, stress, exercise, obesity, and diet can speed up the process of biological ageing, while lifestyle adjustments in the right direction can have the opposite effect.
The DNAage test is a painless saliva-based DNA test which can be carried out in the comfort of your own home. It is intended to be used alongside lifestyle adjustments.
Comparing our biological age against our chronological age is what SRW Founder, Greg Macpherson strongly believes will become a key test to motivate people towards a healthier ageing trajectory, by taking the test every 12 months.
“This advance means people can test at home to see if the healthy ageing activities they are doing are making a positive impact and if not, then using that information annually to adapt to activities that are working while they still have the time to make the change.”
Scientists are increasingly determining that we can make actual lifestyle changes to influence our biological age and help increase our chances of living a long healthy life, both physically and mentally. By following specific advice people have been able to achieve a biological age up to three decades younger than their actual age, a strong indicator that they will continue to age with good health.
Explaining the science, Macpherson says, “As we get older, we accrue methylation on our DNA. Certain people accumulate this faster due to their lifestyle or environmental factors. In the lab, the methyl grouped along the DNA is measured and correlated to age.“
Normally older individuals have a larger number of methyl groups on their DNA, so a young person with a large number of methyl groups may be ageing faster than expected.
The use of DNA methylation to determine our epigenetic age is based on the work of Dr Moshe Szyf who has over 40 years industry experience, specialising in epigenetics to promote health and prevent disease. An SRW Advisory Board Scientist, Dr Szyf has published over 300 peer-reviewed papers and is the founding co-director of the Sackler Institute for Epigenetics and Psychobiology at McGill University.
Speaking on the impact of his work, Dr Szyf says, “We now know that movement and a mindful diet don't just make you feel good - they can also reverse your biological age. By making simple lifestyle alterations to improve our well-being, we also target epigenetic processes that can increase our healthspan and longevity. Ageing is what causes chronic disease, so by slowing down the process and reversing its impact, we can live better for longer.
“This test measures your biological clock at a certain point, it's not a final clock, it can change. So, the test by itself doesn't improve your life, it’s what you then do about it. My interactions with SRW convinced me that they are keenly interested in improving human well-being and human health, and slowing down the process of ageing through educated, science-based interventions.”
SRW is offering a product and service package that delivers lifestyle advice, together with the leading-edge test, to help people monitor their progress and make positive changes to their health over time. DNAage is available to purchase here
]]>Biotech health company SRW Laboratories' launch in China was welcomed with an impressive sales result, demonstrating strong demand for the healthy aging Cellular System range of supplements.
Launching with support from local distribution partners on Friday, SRW achieved online sales to the value of over $4 million NZD (20 million RMB) within just 10 minutes. Their entire first shipment sold out before the weekend was through, achieving sales worth $9.4 million NZD (42.8 million RMB).
The launch of SRW had been well publicised in the week prior to launch, with a large pre-launch event in Hangzhou, China. Attended by over 1,000 guests including media, doctors and health professionals, the event’s live stream peaked at over 220,000 viewers.
“We are incredibly happy with the results”, said Greg Macpherson, Biotechnologist and Founder of SRW Laboratories.
“For a new brand to achieve this incredible interest demonstrates an evolution in the market for healthy ageing supplements, advanced by heightened health focus due to Covid19. Our team has done an amazing job in communicating what is essentially a new science-led approach to healthcare, focussed on the Nine Hallmarks of Ageing.”
“Our formulations are designed to help people stay healthier for longer. All products are proprietary, with new-to-market ingredients for the most part. This makes the results even more impressive. A reflection on our approach, understanding the global demand, the team’s hard work, and the work of our partners in China preparing for this launch.”
SRW introduced their Cellular System range with a soft launch to New Zealand and the USA in June. Early sales in these markets are encouraging and they hope to achieve success that matches their success in Asia, which has now demonstrated a strong appetite, exceeding expectations.
Spurred on by the global pandemic, the health and wellness industry is experiencing strong growth. Nowhere is this more profound than in China. The country’s health and wellness market was reported to be worth ~$70 billion in 2020 (source: Boston Consulting Group), with experts forecasting a rise to $145.1 billion by 2025 (source: https://www.bcg.com).
With the world's largest population (over 1.4 billion), China’s economic growth, political influence and technological advances have seen the country transform into a global powerhouse. At the end of 2020, the 60-year-old population reached 248 million, accounting for 17.17% of total population. Given the size of the market and its growing middle class, China’s influence is now impacting the global wellness industry.
There is no direct translation for the word ‘wellness’ in Chinese. Instead, the population separates the concept into physical, mental and spiritual well-being. All three are high priorities for Chinese consumers. SRW has aimed to embody this with a holistic approach to ageing which includes a focus on helping customers achieve wellness through movement, nutrition, mental stimulation, social enrichment, and improvements to lifestyle.
“The sophisticated Chinese consumer is seeking ways to stay healthy for longer and invest in their health.” says Founder, Greg Macpherson.
“This is part of a worldwide trend, which is driving interest in the SRW brand globally. We are in discussions with potential distribution partners in the EU and the US as we evaluate the best route to growth in these key regions in 2022.”
SRW Laboratories launched into China with three products in ‘The Cellular System’ range. The range is the first of its kind, focusing on the ‘Nine Hallmarks of Ageing’ - characteristics that scientists have identified and grouped together as the culprits of aging in our cells. The range features extensively researched ingredients, backed by world leading scientists, which has proven to resonate well within the Asia market.
Products launched include Cel¹ Stability, Cel² Nourishment and Cel³ Renewal, formulated to support cellular health.
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[SRW Press Release : 10th September 2021]
Innovative biotechnology company SRW Laboratories has engaged former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett as brand ambassador to promote the company’s leading-edge range of health supplements. Having the backing of former deputy PM and TV show host, is an exciting development which the company believe will help them establish in both local and international markets.
SRW Laboratories recently launched with a range of supplements formulated to target cellular function and support healthy aging.
Known for her wit, media savvy and stylish fashion sense, making New Zealand’s best dressed list in 2020, Paula Bennett is also known for overcoming significant health challenges. The combination of these factors makes her a perfect fit for SRW which aims to help people adopt a new approach to healthy aging.
Following her own quest to be healthier and more energetic, Bennett identifies with the goal of SRW to lengthen healthspan – the number of years in a person's life that they are in good health. An active family and professional life give her great reason to maintain health and energy levels.
“When I was in government, I didn’t sleep well enough, I didn’t eat well, I didn’t exercise and that really took a toll on me and my body. I knew I had to make some pretty big changes if I wanted to live the kind of healthy older lifestyle that I was looking forward to,” says Bennett.
“I actually embrace aging and want to be around for quite a few more decades yet, but I’m not an expert and I’m not a scientist, so like anyone else I started going to the experts and listening to them. And I think that’s what led me to SRW.”
Founder of SRW Laboratories, biotechnologist Greg Macpherson is excited about the relationship.
“We are thrilled to have Paula onboard. I greatly admire her personal and professional achievements and she ticks so many boxes for SRW.”
“We are a proud New Zealand business and looking internationally to important markets, in the US, and across Asia. We sought someone with international notability, style and intelligence, that reflects the energy we want our customers to aspire to.”
Bennett’s international reputation is built on numerous international trade missions. She was a recipient of an Eisenhower Fellowship in the USA, awarded to outstanding women leaders globally.
Bennett expands on why SRW interested her, “I wanted a natural product. I love that it is backed by the scientists, I love that the experts have spent so long looking at it. I just have a huge amount of trust in Greg Macpherson, he's given his whole lifetime to trying to help us all live longer in a healthy way.”
Bennett held 14 portfolios during her political career, rising to become Deputy Prime Minister. She has recently returned to public attention as host of the successful new TV show ‘Give Us a Clue’. Hosting alongside team captains, comedian and author Tom Sainsbury and renowned journalist and award-winning current affairs presenter Hilary Barry, the show has quickly become the most popular show in its primetime slot, attracting nearly 420,000 viewers.
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Our Founder Greg Macpherson sat down with M2 editor Andre Rowell discussing the science behind a longer, healthier life. Greg shares with us his journey starting SRW Laboratories and about the science that is changing how long we live and how we live.
What was the catalyst for you to decide that now was the time to connect the mainstream audience with this information and some of the evolution that's happening in terms of our understanding of ageing?
I’m just a science and technology geek from way back. I've always been interested in ageing. In my previous role, I was the Chief Executive of a biotech company that was doing some really interesting things around mitochondria. I left there 18 months ago and took a bit of time out and took the opportunity to start reading a whole bunch more. It became apparent to me that it's not just about mitochondria; all elements of cells change as we age. I thought that now it's time to just make it easier. To be honest, it wasn't actually a conscious decision. I just got cracking on a project and realised there was something here that would be useful for people.
What should I eat? And when should I eat in order to live longer?
We're modern humans with ancient biology and our bodies are not keeping up with the diet changes that we are experiencing with the typical Western diet. A good example of that is the amount of sugar that's in our diet, compared to diets from a hundred thousand years ago. We've got an epidemic at the moment with diabetes and health issues that we are learning are caused a lot by how we're eating and that we're not exercising as much as we should; it's actually overloading our cells and putting us under stress.
We talked about the nutrient sensing switch. This switch does two things; when we eat, it tells the body how to assimilate those nutrients, and when we don't eat, it triggers a cascade which helps clear up some of the junk and broken proteins and cells that aren't working as well as they could.
First thing is that it's really quite good if you don't snack. The reason for that is the body needs to have some time where it is hungry so that it can process and get rid of some of the junk in our cells. If you do nothing else but just eat three times a day, that's good for you, of course in moderation.
If you've got a great day and there's lots of food floating around, then don't not eat. It's just as a rule, if you can eat just three times a day and avoid snacking, it's quite good for you. If you want to take it a little bit further and make yourself hungry for a little bit more than that, and you miss breakfast a few days a week, or even just on a regular basis, then your body will go into a phase where it's actively cleaning things up.
We have this concept of living longer, but it's important to have that quality part in there as well, because there's no point being bed-bound for 20 years.
No, I met a really interesting person in a hospital. He's a psychiatrist and we were visiting the hospital on an internship, and he was all about squaring the curve. You don't want to be in decline for the last 20 years of your life. What do they say? Slide into that coffin with a glass of wine in one hand.
If you can make the last 20 years of life as full-on healthy as possible, then that's what it's all about, stopping that decline. That scares me slightly. I'd much rather be pretty fit and able and have that final glass of wine, and then have that heart attack.
We live in a very youthful society. Is that an issue? We have all of this knowledge and insight, but we tend to forget about our elderly. Is that going to change?
I hope so because ageism is a major issue. It affects the outcomes of your health if you are not ageing well, in terms of your mindsets that actually manifestly impacts your body. There is research that shows that if you perceive yourself to be in a stressful situation, somehow that manifests physically to shorten your telomeres, which are the tips of your chromosomes, and the shorter your telomeres are, the worse your health outcomes are.
It's actually really important that you’re heading to ageing quite positively. I think we're getting much better at that. But if someone's ageist, you're actually affecting yourself because you're going to get to that age. You're fortunate if you get old, versus the other side of the equation.
I think as a society, we could do so much better. If you look at some of the non-Western communities that look after their families; their elders are kept close and they are revered for their wisdom and their input, versus packing people up and putting them in rest homes where there's no way out of that. There's only one way out of that rest home. I think we can age better and I think we can age smarter. That's on the cards. I think that's going to happen.
There's a lot of indigenous knowledge in terms of the benefits of different plants, and it feels like we're only scratching the surface in terms of rediscovering some of that. How much potential do you think is sitting there in some of these rainforests and on the sides of mountains?
A phenomenal amount of potential. If you really want to be brutal about who we are and what we are, we're a bunch of molecules and we've got a bunch of receptors which trigger cascades. So it just makes sense that there's going to be some keys that we don't know about yet, that fit into locks that we haven't discovered yet, that will have a benefit on our health.
Every new drug that becomes available to us is another new key that someone's discovered or that's been there a while and they've just refined it slightly, that means that only affects a subset of that particular lock, so to speak. We've got a rich mine within the Amazon and within our seas that we will just keep discovering things and we'll get smarter and smarter because we're starting to understand what these receptors look like. That way we can put those receptors on a chip, then we just chuck a whole bunch of molecules at it, and very quickly we can pick up whether that molecule will have an effect on that receptor. I think we're actually coming out of the stone age of medicine and starting to get smart.
Are we going to look back at some point and realise we should have actually been letting our immune system work a little bit harder in places?
I think that's a brilliant point. I couldn't agree with you more. I also think we're letting our kids down when we don't let them fail, because it's not just an immune system that we're building, we're building resilience and mental immunity as well.
I think maybe in 50 years' time, we need to let kids fall over and break bones, fail, do stuff that they aren't good at, and let them know they're not good at it so that they find out what they are good at. Something has to change because there is an epidemic of mental health issues that our younger generations are dealing with.
I think that there are unintended consequences of the bubbles that we're creating for our kids. Of course, we want the best for them. We want life to be good and easy...
This article was originally published in M2Woman, Winter Issue 2021 and also here.
“Up until now we’ve aged fairly well with basic lifestyle management and a little luck. Today, we have the precise tools to take it to another level – the cellular level,” said Macpherson. “Using the Nine Hallmarks of aging, or identified causes of aging, we can literally reprogram our cells to function at a much younger biological age than our current chronological age. No other generation has had this technology available to them.”
For more than a decade, Macpherson has been working in the biotechnology sector, focusing on the aging process at the cellular level. This work led him to discover ways to target the nine identified, scientific hallmarks of aging, which is the premise of his newly released book, “Harnessing the Nine Hallmarks of Aging.” While writing the book he realized finding the recommended nutrients and compounds needed for optimal cellular stability, nourishment and renewal was not that easy. This led him to the idea of developing a company centered on cellular health supplements to help people succeed at aging well.
“No one wants to live a long life if you can’t enjoy it,” said Macpherson. “Humans have the capacity to live up to 120 years, and now we have discovered a way to help get people there, while living a very fulfilled life.”
In addition to diet, fasting, exercise, stress reduction and sleep, Macpherson says recent developments on understanding how to support DNA repair mechanisms have opened the door to new nutraceuticals that have a profound impact on slowing the aging process. One of the game changing molecules he is utilizing in SRW’s supplement, Cel1 Stability, is HobamineTM (2-HOBA), an extract from Himalayan Tartary buckwheat, discovered by Vanderbilt University scientists through the research spearheaded by Dr. Naji Abumrad. It’s so cutting edge, it is hard to find in most supplements; in fact, Macpherson’s company is only the second company in the world to offer it and Abumrad is a part of SRW’s scientific team. 2-HOBA provides new ways to protect DNA and other cellular components from oxidative stress while maintaining healthy levels of free radical signaling. It is vastly different than what is commonly associated with the class of phytochemicals known as antioxidants, in that it can stop the cascading damage in the cell that can ignite inflammation or stress in the body. Research shows that 2-HOBA can help the immune system stabilize to a restful, healthy state, versus being over-stimulated, which can happen over the long term as we age.
This is just one of the cutting-edge ingredients found in SRW’s Cellular System Range of nutraceuticals, Cel1Stability, Cel2 Nourishment and Cel3 Renewal, that when taken in combination support the body’s ability to defy the nine identified hallmarks of aging, which are: genomic instability, telomere attrition, epigenetic alterations, loss of proteostasis, deregulated nutrient sensing, mitochondrial dysfunction, cellular senescence, stem cell exhaustion and altered intercellular communication. Each Cellular System supplement has a different cellular health focus. A person’s biological age (or cell’s age) can be determined by DNA testing and reveals the actual age cells are acting, which could be vastly different from a person’s chronological age (or number of years lived).
SRW’s goal is to curate the very latest in science and research to develop formulations that help people age healthier. The debut of SRW’s Cellular System Range includes Cel1 Stability, Cel2 Nourishment and Cel3 Renewal. Cel1 Stability supports DNA structure and function and is recommended if you experience stress factors that negatively impact DNA, such as lack of sleep, UV and pollution exposure, poor diet or excessive stress. Cel2 Nourishment supports energy levels in the cell by providing a supply of NMN, an energy precursor that is used in the mitochondria, and is recommended if you experience low energy or want extended energy without caffeine. Cel3 Renewal supports the cellular housekeeping processes, which plays an important role in clearing out and recycling cells in the body called senescent cells that are no longer useful and is recommended to support the body’s ability to form proteins and recycle cells. Current studies are pointing to senescent cells as causing the body’s overreaction to coronavirus in older populations, contributing to increased mortality. Another indicator that immune response and the cell’s age have a lot to do with how well we age.
]]>Wrinkles? Looking frail and older than what you appear? Losing beauty? Losing cognitive function? Getting aches and pains and not being able to do the things you used to be able to do?
]]>Wrinkles? Looking frail and older than what you appear? Losing beauty? Losing cognitive function? Getting aches and pains and not being able to do the things you used to be able to do?
We all face the inevitability of aging. Most of us are already experiencing it. Over the years we change our face wash, our diet and even our clothes to suit the evolving skins we live in. Your cells are no different. They can use different levels of support over time. Which is why we've designed the SRW Range accordingly.
SRW's unique approach looks at your cells where aging begins rather than what you observe externally. Most aging science until now has only been at a skin-deep level. Our team has gone deeper, right down to a cellular level. We've assembled the world's leading thinkers and scientists in the field of aging and senescence to change how we think about aging.
Ultimately, we try to extend the human healthspan so that we can all live better for longer. Using research across 12 body systems, our team of scientists are bringing together ingredients and compounds that are showing great promise in the arena of aging.
SRW formulations are blended and bottled in New Zealand at GMP certified facilities. The ingredients within are carefully selected for their ability to synergistically support your cells, the building blocks of your body. Our team have drawn on years of research and recent scientific discoveries to create holistic wellbeing regimes that can be included in your everyday life.
Science Research Wellness - the pursuit of aging well.
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The photos from our event are now on our Facebook page, please feel free to take a look and follow our page while you're there:
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