Abstract

Decline of the coenzyme NAD+ in tissues in aging and age-associated diseases, linked to mitochondrial dysfunction and cellular damage, has prompted interest in NAD+ precursors supplementation (NR, NMN, NAM). Yet NAD+ metabolism spans salvage, Preiss-Handler, and other conversion branches whose therapeutic potential remains underexplored.

Dr Vincenzo Sorrentino will present work on two such nodes and metabolites: trigonelline, a dietary Preiss-Handler substrate reduced in sarcopenia and diabetic kidney disease (DKD), which preclinically improves mitochondrial function, muscle force, and renal injury; and nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT), an enzyme that methylates the NAD+ precursor NAM, driving tubular senescence and fibrosis in DKD, whose inhibition is protective independently of NAD+ maintenance. These findings argue for node-specific, rather than uniform, NAD+-targeted intervention strategies.

Biography

Vincenzo Sorrentino is an Italian-born scientist working in aging and mitochondrial biology. After his PhD with honors from the University of Amsterdam, he carried his postdoc at Auwerx lab, EPFL. From 2019 till 2022, he was Group Leader at the Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences (Switzerland), leading research on natural bioactives for cellular energy and their translation into clinical applications.

Currently, he is Assistant Professor at NUS with the Healthy Longevity TRP, and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Amsterdam.