UNDERSTANDING FRAILTY TOWARDS A FUTURE OF HEALTHY AGEING
Buchinger Wilhelmi at the European Scientific UNION Meeting
UNION is a European research network funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme and dedicated to one of the most pressing questions of our time: how can we extend not only lifespan, but healthspan? Frailty, the increasing vulnerability that often accompanies ageing, is a key factor limiting independence and quality of life in later years. In March 2026, the Scientific Meeting of UNION will take place in Italy „UNDERSTANDING FRAILTY TOWARDS A FUTURE OF HEALTHY AGEING“.
Leading universities and research institutions across Europe are part of this initiative. Buchinger Wilhelmi is proud to contribute as an associated partner, bringing decades of clinical experience and research in therapeutic fasting into the scientific dialogue. As fasting influences key pathways related to metabolism, inflammation, and cellular resilience, it represents a promising intervention strategy within the broader framework of healthy ageing research.
A key objective of UNION is to foster the next generation of scientists in ageing research. The programme supports 17 doctoral researchers across Europe (13 PhD Students) and UK (4 PhD students). In this context, we are working closely with Prof. Massimiliano Ruscica and his team at the Università degli Studi di Milano. Studies have already been published showing that long term fasting can improve lipoprotein associated atherogenic risk in humans. Further work also explores the health effects of fasting and traces its potential from the treatment of obesity to an extended healthy lifespan and improved cognitive performance.
Dr. Franziska Grundler
One of the UNION doctoral researchers will be involved in a research project at the Buchinger Wilhelmi Clinics. At the upcoming meeting, Dr. Franziska Grundler will present insights from the long-term fasting research at Buchinger’s Senior researcher. We look forward to this exchange with experts across Europe and will share further updates about the UNION collaboration.
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