dsm-firmenich funds five nutrition research projects in APAC

dsm-firmenich, innovators in nutrition, health, and beauty, awarded the second round of the Nutrition Research Grant to five projects, each worth EUR50,000, in support of healthy longevity research in the Asia Pacific demographic.

Following the inaugural round in 2024 which focused on 'Health from the Gut across the Human Lifespan', this year's grant call centered around the theme 'Age Slower, Age Better - Nutrition Solutions for Healthy Longevity'.

"The study of healthy longevity is particularly important in the Asia Pacific region, where populations are aging at an unprecedented pace due to longer life expectancy." said Tina Low, Senior Vice President APAC, Health, Nutrition & Care (HNC), dsm-firmenich. "More worryingly, we see a widening gap between life span – how long we live - and health span – how long we remain healthy, with the average person spending the last 10 years of their lives in ill health.^[2]"

Tina added, "Advancing healthy longevity in Asia requires strong public-private partnerships, a principle embedded in dsm-firmenich's Asia-for-Asia Nutrition Research Grant Program."

The impact of Nutrition on Aging

"Today, we know it's possible to slow down the progression of aging with nutritional interventions." said Anneleen Spooren, Senior Vice President, Innovation, R&D & Regulatory, HNC, dsm-firmenich, citing the landmark DO-HEALTH study, Europe's largest clinical trial on healthy aging to date which demonstrated that a combination of algal omega-3, vitamin D and a simple home exercise program can slow biological aging by as much as 3.8 months in a 3-year period^[3].

"We were excited to receive a record number of applications for the grant this round, from 13 different countries in Asia Pacific, and we look forward to partnering with our grant recipients to gain more clarity on how nutrition can shape how aging unfolds, allowing us to live our later years in full vitality."

The five 2026 dsm-firmenich Nutrition Research Grant recipients are:

Dr. David Barry, National Ageing Research Institute, Australia

Effect of Postbiotic Supplementation on Inflammation and Physical Function in Pre-Frail Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial

Prof. Hamid Sohrabi, Murdoch University, Australia

Synergistic Effects of Polyphenol- and Omega-3–Rich Dietary Patterns on Mitochondrial Health and Biological Ageing: Translational Insights from the AU-ARROW Cohort

Dr. Jiyun Ahn, Korea Food Research Institute, Republic of Korea

Healthspan Signals in Muscle: Tissue-Resolved Aging Clocks and Vitamin D Associations in Older Adults

Prof. Katherine Black, University of Otago, New Zealand

Omega-3 Supplementation to Support Lean Mass, Body Composition, and Healthy Longevity in Perimenopausal Women: A Randomised Control Trial

Asst. Prof. Vincenzo Sorrentino, National University of Singapore, Singapore

Promoting Cellular Energy Production for Slower Aging Combining Trigonelline and CoQ10

In addition to funding, the grant also offers valuable opportunities for professional recognition and networking with the broader nutrition and scientific community. The grants were presented at the 'Age Slower, Age Better: Advancing Healthy Longevity Across Asia Pacific' scientific symposium today, organized in partnership with A*STAR Institute for Human Development and Potential (IHDP), Singapore.

The symposium attracted over 180 academia and industry partners, including Prof. Johan Eriksson, Executive Director of A*STAR IHDP, and Prof. Kim Ji-Yeon of Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Korea, who served on the expert selection panel of the Nutrition Research Grant this year, and also delivered keynote presentations.

^[1] UNFPA Asia-Pacific – Ageing: https://asiapacific.unfpa.org/en/topics/ageing 

^[2] Garmany A, Terzic A. Global Healthspan-Lifespan Gaps Among 183 World Health Organization Member States. JAMA Network Open. 2024;7(12):e2450241. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.50241.

^[3] Bischoff-Ferrari HA, Gängler S, Wieczorek M, et al. Individual and additive effects of vitamin D, omega-3 and exercise on DNA methylation clocks of biological aging in older adults from the DO-HEALTH trial. Nature Aging. 2025;5(3):376–385. doi:10.1038/s43587-024-00793-y