TSI Group is celebrating the inclusion of two of its ingredients — myHMB and Hobamine — in the next phase of the ambitious $101 million XPRIZE Healthspan competition, which focuses on extending healthy human lifespan.
TSI is collaborating with Gustavo Duque, MD, PhD, a senior scientist at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal (Canada), and his team in the Canadian Translational Geroscience Network.
This team is advancing to the competition’s next phase, having been chosen as one of 40 milestone winners based on rigorous scientific and clinical criteria. They have received $250,000 in funding to help with their study preparation.
XPRIZE Healthspan seeks to revolutionise the way we approach human ageing
Launched in 2023, the XPRIZE Healthspan competition seeks breakthrough approaches to close the gap between life expectancy and health expectancy.
The aim is to help people live longer, while ensuring those extra years are spent in good health, free from disabilities, frailty and chronic conditions that often accompany ageing.
The ultimate goal is to deliver interventions that can extend human healthspan by at least 10 years, with the $101 million grand prize to be awarded in 2027.
“Being part of the XPRIZE Healthspan competition is an opportunity to accelerate the development of therapies that can truly change how we experience ageing,” says Duque, who also serves as director of the Canadian Translational Geroscience Network.
Exploring the healthspan-extending potential of myHMB and Hobamine
One of the most studied nutritional ingredients available, myHMB is used for muscle recovery, building muscle, and addressing age-related muscle loss.
Hobamine, TSI Group’s form of the naturally occurring compound 2-HOBA, supports cell health by mitigating the negative impact of damaging free radicals, thereby helping to keep the immune system in check.
“Being selected as part of the XPRIZE Healthspan initiative is a tremendous validation of the scientific promise behind HMB (myHMB) and 2-HOBA (Hobamine)."
"This collaboration allows us to push the boundaries of what’s possible in ageing research — moving beyond lifespan to focus on real, functional health outcomes,” comments Naji Abumrad, MD, FACS, Chief Scientific Officer at TSI Group.
The team’s goal is to advance myHMB and Hobamine to clinical applications
The Canadian Translational Geroscience Network, led by Duque, brings together researchers, clinicians and innovators from across Canada, working to translate advances in ageing biology into interventions that promote healthy ageing for all.
The company’s leadership extends to its commercial partnership with TSI Group, where Abumrad and his collaborator, John Rathmacher, PhD, both of whom participated in the discovery of HMB and 2-HOBA, bring unique expertise from leading the original NIH-funded clinical trials that established their safety and therapeutic profiles.
For the semifinals, these prestigious researchers will recruit 120 adults ages 65 to 95, who will be assigned to one of four treatments as part of a 3-month, randomised, placebo-controlled trial:
1. Control group
2. CaHMB group receiving 2 doses/day of 1.5 grams calcium HMB (as myHMB)
3. 2-HOBA group receiving 325 grams 2-HOBA (as Hobamine)
4. CaHMB + 2-HOBA
The goals are to determine the effect of HMB and/or 2-HOBA on cardiovascular fitness and muscle function in older adults, as well as their impact on cognitive performance. Any changes in immune function will also be characterised.
“Our approach is grounded in geroscience — targeting multiple hallmarks of ageing with compounds that have demonstrated both safety and efficacy,” explains Abumrad.
“HMB reduces protein breakdown and inflammation while activating protein synthesis and mitochondrial biogenesis, while 2-HOBA addresses oxidative stress, cell senescence and inflammation. Together, they form a rational, complementary strategy for extending healthspan in older adults.”
TSI Group is committed to advancing the science of healthy ageing
This XPRIZE competition will further reinforce TSI Group’s mission of combining best-in-class research with exceptional ingredient and product development to support consumers’ long-term health.
“The goal is not just to live longer, but to live better. This trial represents an opportunity to test interventions that could meaningfully improve quality of life for older adults by preserving function across the body’s most vulnerable systems,” concludes Abumrad.