18th Key Symposium

Message from the organizer

On behalf of the Journal of Internal Medicine, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the organizing committee, I am pleased to announce that the 18th “Key symposium” (“Longevity and Healthy ageing- what can we learn from blue zones”) will take place in Okinawa, Japan, May 12-13, 2023. These symposia are held in honour of Professor Axel Key, the founder of the first Swedish medical journal “Medicinskt Archiv”, later “Acta Medica Scandinavica” and since 1989 “Journal of Internal Medicine”.

The theme “Longevity and Healthy ageing- what can we learn from blue zones” is more timely than ever before. The rapid ageing of the population and increasing numbers of elderly in the society inevitably results in more age-related diseases and susceptibility to severe course. In order to decrease disease suffering and burden on the health care system, one of the greatest challenges of our time therefore is to promote both longevity and healthy ageing. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a powerful example of the elderly as susceptible to severe course and mortality. However, it has also reminded us about the complexity of disease susceptibility of ageing, where we tend to forget that many elderly, even if infected, have a mild or subclinical course. Thus, whatever acute and chronic diseases that occur during life span, a complex and thus far mainly unknown mix of risk- and protective factors determines not only the likelihood of longevity but also the individual perception of good health and quality of life in the elderly.

Inspired by the concept of “Blue zones”, i.e. local hot spots with high concentration of centenarians with a healthy ageing, this symposium will take place in one of the most famous Blue zones, i.e. Okinawa, Japan. World leading experts in the field of longevity and healthy ageing will meet to review and discuss the epidemiology, underlying causes, prevention strategies, therapies and future research directions. The opening lecture will be held by Professor Makoto Suzuki from the Okinawa Centre for Longevity Science, the founder and principal investigator of the Okinawa Centenarian Study. All sessions will be open for questions and discussion and be summarized in review articles to be published in the Journal of Internal Medicine. By participating in the symposium, taking place in a uniquely inspiring environment, you will be involved in moving the research field forward.

We look forward to welcome you in Okinawa!

Meeting Summary

Title

The 18th Key Symposium
Longevity and Healthy Ageing: What can we learn from Blue Zones?

Date

12 (Fri.) – 13 (Sat.) May 2023

Venue

Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University
1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Kunigami-gun
Okinawa, Japan 904-0495

Organized by

	Journal of Internal Medicine
	the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

Officially Endorsed by:
The Japanese Association of Medical Sciences

	The Japan Geriatrics Society

	The Japan Federation of Gerontological Societies

Organizing committee

Olle Melander, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
Akiko Kishi Svensson, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Thomas Svensson, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Center of Innovation, The University of Tokyo, Japan

Management Office

 Contact Persons:　Ayano Sasaki (Ms.)/Shea Yamaguchi (Mr.)

 Email:　key-symposium2023@okicongre.jp

 Phone:　+81 98-869-4220